Imperiled Future
by Matt Morwell
Summary: AU. Book 3 of 4. A young man has found his greatest gift and greatest ally wrapped into one ancient relic, but the counterbalances have arrived, seeking to destroy him and everything he cares for...
1. Clash

**_Imperiled Future_**

by Matt Morwell

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IMPORTANT: This story is the sequel to **Intertwined Fates**. If you want to read this story and haven't read its predecessor first, please do so, as you are not going to be able to follow what happens here otherwise.

Author's Notes: I told you I was going to write a sequel, didn't I? We're picking up exactly where we left off: Jade has interrupted Kyle and Monica's outing in order to issue a challenge to Kyle for his two pieces of the Gate Guardian set... but she only wants to stake one of her own two pieces in return.

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"One card against two? Why not both Brothers?"

"Because if I win Suijin, then Guardian is useless to you," Jade answered. "If all the Brothers are in my deck, what possible use could you have for their combined form card?"

"Chosen One. Reasoning," Kyle answered, in reference to magic cards capable of summoning monsters without the need for tribute.

Jade frowned. "Those are dirty tricks. You asked what my stakes were and I told you. Now you're just wasting my time. Do you accept my challenge, or are you going to run?"

She crossed her arms, waiting for Kyle's answer.

--

Kyle McCraine took in a deep breath, blew half of it out his nose, then made his decision.

"I accept."

Jade smirked triumphantly at him. "Of course you do."

"Drop the smug act, Jade. I'm not buying it. I want a serious duel from you. But I think I can count on that." Kyle headed for his motorcycle.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think I touched a nerve," she said, shrugging. "But at least you know I'll never duel half-heartedly."

Kyle brought his motorcycle around to the curb and pulled up next to her. "Coming in your own way, or shall I take you there?"

She climbed on behind him. "Well, since you're offering. Are you sure your girlfriend won't object?"

He ignored the word _girlfriend._ "She's got her own transportation. She thinks her chances of surviving an accident are better when she's got an enclosed cabin, a seat belt, and an air bag."

Jade laughed. "Ah, the conservative type. You poor thing."

"I hope you're not planning to patronize me like this when we get on the platform." Kyle wrenched the handle and made for the downtown duelist center.

"I won't," she answered over the roar of the machine beneath them. "You're in a bad mood tonight; usually you don't mind the verbal sparring."

"Oh, I wonder why," he scoffed. "Maybe it had something to do with a certain duelist following me to a formal dance I didn't even want to attend."

"Hey," she snapped, sounding annoyed, "don't blame me for the fact that you got dragged there."

"I don't, I blame you for the fact that you're so blindly obsessed, you couldn't wait to challenge me until after I got home."

She didn't respond to that for a moment. "You really think the worst of me?"

He chewed the inside of his cheek momentarily, then shook his head. "No... not the worst. But you haven't given me much reason to think the best of you, especially not tonight. The last time I was at a dance, I didn't have a good time at all. Monica wanted to change that perception. So seeing her walk off like that... well... it didn't exactly do much for me."

"She'll get over it," Jade said with certainty.

"It's not her I'm worried about," he answered. "It's her and me, at the same time."

"If it's any consolation, I do know what you mean. And I'm saying again, she'll get over it. She's not a fool; what she saw was just that: what she _saw_, not what was. Anyway, you're not going to be this distracted for our rematch, are you?"

Kyle snorted in response and made a left turn. The duelist center loomed ahead. "If you really think, after seeing me duel, that that's going to be a problem, then you may as well just take Suijin and Gate Guardian right now."

She tightened her arms around his middle. "Well, that _would_ save us a lot of trouble, wouldn't it? Are you offering?"

He couldn't help but shudder slightly at her touch. Despite her cocky act back at the auditorium, he knew he found her quite attractive. "It would save us the trouble, but I'm afraid you're not going to get them without a fight. Sorry."

"It's all right," she responded, as though his repsonse had been hard for him.

He rolled his eyes as he pulled into a parking space right next to the building. There was hardly anyone there this time of night, save the custodians performing maintenance – also known as mopping the floor – and the receptionist chewing bubble gum.

They must have made an odd pair, she in her red dress and he in his suit. Jade handed the receptionist some money, though where she had pulled it from was dubious. The receptionist looked up at them and offered a small smile. "I remember you two were in here not so long ago. This wouldn't exactly be my idea of a fancy restaurant, but... whatever floats your boat."

Kyle caught the reference, and his ears turned slightly pink, but he said nothing otherwise.

Jade, who had already started to walk down the hall to the large rooms where the duel platforms were, laughed at the remark. The sound echoed.

Kyle snapped on his ID bracelet as he made after her. He called out, "Why pay for me? Last time I tried paying for you and you wouldn't have it."

"Because," Jade said, "I didn't want you to pay for me."

He made it to her side and matched her pace. "Why?"

"It's just the way I am, Kyle. Quit reading so deeply into it."

He sighed. "There's no getting answers out of you, so I'll stop asking. Choose your station."

Jade, again, picked the blue station. Her deck was strapped in a sort of carrying case on her thigh, rather like a holster. At his look, she shrugged. "I hate purses."

He also shrugged as he made his way to the red station. "Like the woman said, whatever floats your boat. I should think about getting one of those, actually... more easily accessible."

She smiled at him, while her deck went through the shuffler. "I challenged again, so it looks like you get to pick your start."

He slipped his deck into the shuffler. "I'll go second."

Jade drew her opening hand and regarded it. "I play one magic/trap card face-down, and then a monster in defense. Your move."

Kyle perused his opening hand. "I place two magic/trap cards face-down and then activate Swords of Revealing Light."

Jade made a face. "Tell me you're not running scared on the first hand."

"Just assessing my options early on, is all," he answered blandly. He placed his Swords card on the field; the weapons of pure light stabbed down across Jade's field, revealing and paralyzing her monster. Jade's Ancient Elf (1450/1200) was revealed, pinned down.

"That ends my turn," Kyle said, crossing his arms.

Jade drew and looked her hand over for several moments. "I'll end my turn without playing a card," she finally stated.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he drew his next card. "I place another card face-down and finish my turn there."

"I draw... and I'll switch my Elf to attack mode, equip him with a Book of Secret Arts, for another 300 attack and defense points. End turn."

"Great," Kyle muttered as he drew. "I play one monster face-down. Your move."

"I'll play another card face-down, end turn."

Kyle's Swords of Revealing Light vanished from Jade's field, thus freeing up her miffed-looking Ancient Elf. He drew, then made his choice. "I sacrifice my face-down Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) to place another monster face-down. End turn."

"Hm," Jade said. "Now what do I know of in your deck that has a good defense? Can't be Suijin because there was only one sacrifice. So it's either a high-defense monster or an effect monster." She smiled. "My turn; I draw. And I think I'll have my Elf attack that face-down of yours."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "As you wish. Reveal Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500). You were thinking high defense or effect, and you got both. Little bonus for you. Hope you enjoy."

Jade smiled. "Surprise, surprise." The Ancient Elf was repelled, and Jade's LP scrolled down to 3250 for the failed attack.

"End turn," she said cheerfully.

Kyle sighed as he drew. The cheer in Jade's voice didn't exactly boost his confidence. "I place one magic/trap card face-down and a monster in defense mode. Back to you."

"I play Dark Hole," she announced as soon as she drew.

He rolled his eyes, but nevertheless discarded his monsters as the flashy holograms vanished from the field. "Nice."

She grinned. "And another monster face down. Your turn!"

He drew. _Nothing to attack with?_ "I place one magic/trap card face-down. End turn."

His m/t field was now entirely covered with face-down cards, an effect he hoped was not lost on his opponent. And indeed, Jade was eyeing the fully lit back row of the holographic field. "Taking quite a chance, aren't you?"

Kyle shrugged. "Long as they're face-down, you won't know until and unless you try to attack."

"And if I draw a Feather Duster, or a Giant Trunade, or a Heavy Storm... you're screwed," she reminded him. "End turn."

"You're assuming I have no way of countering any of those," he smirked, drawing his next card. "One monster face-down, and end turn."

"I play Graceful Charity," she said.

"Yay," he mumbled.

"Hmmm... and I discard Mirror Wall and Invitation to a Dark Sleep." She put the two announced cards in her graveyard. "Then I play another monster face-down, and end my turn."

Kyle noted the cards she'd discarded. "Something tells me you're not overly worried I'll attack."  
"Attack? You've been defending the whole game. If I'm supposed to be feeling threatened, you've got a lot more work to do."

He drew and shrugged. "Best to be prepared both ways. In any case, I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Her move was quick. "I draw, and flip my Magician of Faith (300/400) to attack mode. I'll use her effect to bring back my Graceful Charity card."

"Once again, yay."

"This time, I'll discard Fairy's Gift, and Mystical Elf."

"Keep using that move and you're going to run yourself low on good cards pretty quickly," he commented.

"It gets me exactly what I need," she informed him. "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master, for another 1000 Life Points. Then I'll play Soul of the Pure, for another 800."

He nodded in acknowledgment, even as her Life Points soared from 3250 to 5050.

"End of my turn," she announced, again rather happily.

He eyed Jade warily. She wasn't being cheerful for no good reason; she most definitely had a plan. "Okay... I flip Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) into attack mode. Madoor, attack her Magician of Faith!"

The petite sorceress disappeared underneath a tidal wave conjured by his monster, and Jade's Life Points descended to 4150.

"I doubt if you're concerned yet," he stated, "but maybe you'll reconsider your plan of attack now that I've revealed I've got one. Your move."

"And I'll play one card face down. End of my turn."

Kyle drew. "I place one monster face-down, and then have Madoor attack your face-down monster."

Jade's monster appeared, a young woman with a fiery orb. "My Fire Sorceress (1000/1500) is not destroyed."

Kyle's Life Points dropped to 3700; as they did so, he considered noting that the proper name of the card was Fire Sorcerer, but then decided against it. It was Jade's card, she could call it what she wanted. He shrugged. "At least I know what it is now. That'll be all for me."

"My turn, I draw." Then, after a moment, "End turn."

Kyle drew his next card. "I end my turn."

Jade drew. "I equip my Fire Sorceress with Buster Rancher, and then end my turn."

Kyle frowned. _That card amplifies attack power, but only when the monster equipped with it is battling monsters with an attack or defense power above 2500._ "What good will that do?" he asked, as a massive weapon more suited for a space ranger was mounted on Jade's monster. "I don't have any monsters out with the kind of attack or defense power that thing needs in order to fire."

She smiled cryptically. "You'll see."

"I suppose I will, at that." Kyle drew. "I'll end my turn without playing a card."

"I draw." Jade blinked at her next card and smiled. "And I'll play Soul Exchange on your face-down."

Kyle groaned. "I really wish you wouldn't. I like Kiseitai (300/800)." The worm-like creature squealed as it was struck with the effect of Soul Exchange.

Jade winced at the sound. "Ew. Too bad. I sacrifice it and my Sorceress for Cosmo Queen (2900/2450)."

"And the party begins," Kyle said, rubbing hands together eagerly at the sight of Jade's massive Duel Monster. He felt no flame of fear licking him... only a feeling that he was being challenged to take the creature down. A challenge he was eager to meet.

"Unfortunately, due to Soul Exchange's less than appealing effect, I'll have to end my turn without attacking," she sighed, crossing her arms in disgust.

Kyle drew his next card and let out a small grunt of satisfaction. "Good thing you used Soul Exchange. I might've been screwed if you'd sacrificed one of your own monsters. As it is, I suppose now we'll get to have a little monster rematch on our hands. But I should stop talking and just come out with it. So here it is. I sacrifice Aqua Madoor and my face-down Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) to bring out Suijin (2500/2400)!"

Jade didn't bother to disguise the hungry look in her eye at the sight of the Labyrinth Brother as it flowed onto the field.

"If you'd like to attack him, be my guest," Kyle scoffed. "As for me, I'm going to hold off. End turn."

"Actually, I had something else in mind," Jade replied matter-of-factly. "I play Change of Heart!"

"I'm ready for that one," Kyle said. "Activate Magic Jammer!" He discarded his Luminous Spark field card to accommodate the cost of using his trap.

Jade nodded, unperturbed. "Thank you! End turn."

He snorted. "I place one monster face-down. That ends my turn."

Jade drew. "Hm. A standoff so far. End turn," she said, discarding from her hand to keep to the card limit.

He raised an eyebrow as he drew his next card. "I'll end my turn here," he announced.

"I draw. Wonder who'll get their wanted card first?"

He kept his mouth shut. She grinned. "No comment? Odd. End turn."

Kyle was silent in his next draw. "I place another monster face-down and end my turn."

"I draw, and also play a monster face-down. End turn."

He scanned his hand for several moments, and looked up at Jade. "Maybe the fairy-tale ending can still happen."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really." It wasn't a question... it was more like a challenge.

"Well... for me, at any rate. Happily ever after and all that." He took a deep breath, and then placed a card in his one open magic/trap slot. "I play Heavy Storm."

Jade blinked, but put all her set cards into the graveyard. "Interesting move."

He smiled sorrowfully at his set cards and briefly flashed them at Jade: Trap Hole, Regulation of Tribe, Negate Attack, and Reverse Trap. Her own were revealed to be Waboku, Enchanted Javelin, and also a Regulation of Tribe; but with the activation of his Heavy Storm card, lightning obliterated all seven cards.

He took another deep breath, and this time expelled half of it. "Now I play Raigeki."

"No!" It was out of her mouth before she could stop it, but the lightning was unheeding, taking away her Cosmo Queen and her Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200). She glared at him as she thumbed through her deck, per Witch's effect.

He waited patiently for her to select her card. Her selection was swift.

The look on his face was almost regretful. Almost. _Even as persistent as her drive is to get the Gate Guardian set, she has to earn it first. And she won't earn it now._ "Sorry, Jade. I sacrifice my face-down Magician of Faith (300/400) and Kotodama (0/1600) to play Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode."

His Tri-Horned Dragon appeared next to Suijin, all claws and teeth and bursts of flame.

Jade had lost. They both knew it.

"You may want to hold on to something. Tri-Horned Dragon, attack her Life Points."  
Tri-Horned Dragon stomped across the field and swiped its claws at the base of Jade's platform; it bucked, simulating the devastating attack, but she stoically stood through it as her Life Points descended to 1300.

"Suijin... attack."

The Labyrinth Brother's tidal wave was next, washing up against the base of the pedestal and causing it to again jump under the simulated stress.

And her Life Point counters scrolled down to zero.

She bit the inside of her cheek and very stiffly set the cards in her hand down on her field. A Maha Vailo (1550/1400), a pair of Malevolent Nuzzlers, an Axe of Despair, and Megamorph.

Kyle scanned the cards she'd put down and nodded grimly. _Four equip cards, and a monster whose attack increases with every equipment on it... if she'd lasted to next turn, she'd have had a monster with an attack power of 7400. Even Tri-Horned Dragon would have been made mince-meat... and my Life Points along with it._ He knew not to underestimate her.

He removed his cards from the field and graveyard and pulled the remainder of his deck out of the auto-shuffler, then lowered his dueling station to ground level and waited for Jade.

Jade collected her cards, then touched the button to lower her own platform. As she walked towards him, he saw that she had Sanga and Kazejin in her hand. He blinked at her.

"Since you never specified which one you wanted if you won," she said tersely, answering the unasked question.

He cocked his head. "Kazejin is your card. You earned it. I won't take that from you. Sanga's the one I want."

Some of the tension seemed to drain out of her, and Jade held out Sanga to him, holding his gaze. Her voice was strong, her tone firm and sure. "I'll still have the Gate Guardian in the end."

He took the card back, but didn't break the gaze. "I want you to stop chasing me, Jade."

"Why?"

"Because you'd have me duel night and day for rights to the Brothers. Dueling isn't my life," he answered. "And neither are the Labyrinth Brothers... contrary to popular belief."

"Well, maybe they're mine right now. And you either duel, or you don't. It's not something you can turn off and on. So long as you're a duelist, I'll be keeping my eye on you." She slipped Kazejin back into her deck and put it away.

He gave her a look of equal parts desperation and exasperation. "What's your problem, Jade? Ever since I won Sanga, you've treated me like a bullseye. Are you just looking to take me down? Am I intruding so blatantly into your 'private domain'?"

"In a word? Yes," she snapped. "I hope this is your fairy-tale ending." She turned to leave, pulling off the ID bracelet as she went.

"Jade!" he barked, moving after her.

She stopped stiff in her tracks. "_What?_"

He stepped forward, and had to repress an instinct to reach out and touch her, lest the hand that did so be removed quite violently from his arm. "I'm not trying to ruin everything for you. If I'd realized what I was getting into by betting on Sanga, I wouldn't have dueled Zack in the first place. I don't want to be your enemy... but you sure as hell don't seem to want to be my friend."

He saw her jaw shifting to one side before she moved off again, striding briskly down the entrance hall. Even her dress seemed to exude anger; for a moment, he entertained the imagination that its color was harsher, its rippling... angry. "Just you _wait_, Kyle, until you have something that you'll push everything else aside for. Something you want so badly, it'll dictate _every single thing_ you do. You don't have something like that yet, so you have no idea. _I_ do." She turned around and gave him a glare. "So until you do, don't you dare judge me."

"I haven't passed judgment on you. And if I came off as otherwise, I'm sorry," he said. "But... we don't have to keep fighting each other like this."

She tossed the ID bracelet in the trash can by the door. "Why don't you go home, Kyle. It's getting late. Call your girlfriend or something. I'm going home."

He bowed his head. Even though he'd won the duel, he still felt as though he'd lost something.

"Sleep well," he muttered.

He paced over to the receptionist's desk. The poor woman was looking half-asleep by this point, but when she saw the well-dressed gentleman, her eyes popped open to full alertness. "Well, hello there! How was it?"

"It was fine," he mumbled.

The receptionist scanned his face. "She won again, huh?"

For several moments, nothing was said. Then Kyle reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.

He tossed one duelist's admission fee on the desk.

She blinked at it. "Gonna go back in there, are you?"

He shook his head. "Nah... tip."

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Tip...?" she squeaked.

"Tip," he nodded. "Treat yourself to ice cream. See a movie. Play mini-golf. Drive a go-cart."

Before she could even find her voice again, he was already out the door.__


	2. Aftermath

_A/N: Allrighty, here's Chapter 2. I don't think all my chapters are going to be as widely spaced in posting time as this one, but I had orientation for college this weekend – which actually helped to contribute to the length, since I had serious writer's block that only my own mom – who came along – could help me fix! Kudos to my mom! And kudos to you readers!_

Voakands: Glad you found it entertaining. Now on to bigger and better things, eh?

Lumen: Probably is, at that. It's a bit late now, but good luck on the finals.

Eusine: Most people are turning that way now... just as well, now she's not a total hate magnet.

Monica: You may very well be right. Take a look and see for yourself.

Wolf: No, you're right, that wasn't really the focus. I like plot development as much as the next person, especially as long as this story's becoming.

Mira: You might find competition with Kaiba and Monica, methinks! Truth be told, I also like 'em... in all sorts of genres, too.

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Kyle sighed heavily as he got off his motorcycle and trudged toward his apartment. It was the dead of night now, and even though the dance was probably still going for another two hours, he didn't much feel like going back there. He wasn't sure if he could face Monica's disappointment, despite Jade's reassurances that she'd get over it.

**_Kyle, you may not approve of Jade, but she is right. What Monica saw is simply what she saw. It is not necessarily what was._**

**__**Oh, I know what she was thinking. She even said it out loud. She thought I was going for another girl.

_**But that was not the case, was it? Jade approached you, intending to challenge you to a duel. Nothing more.**_

_She asked me to dance._

_**You and I both know that was not her true intention. Do not worry yourself over something so trivial.**_

_I was having a good time, Theoris. I'm not proud of accepting the duel. I'm not even proud of winning Sanga back. I just wanted to have a worry-free good time tonight. Jade ruined that. She's developing a habit of ruining my good days._

**_You cannot deny that a good time was precisely what you were having before Jade approached you. And a majority of your day was spent before that time, during which you were feeling, unless I am mistaken, quite happy about your job offer._**

**__**Kyle snorted as he opened the door and turned the light on. _I suppose so. Today's been pretty eventful._

_**Indeed, it has. You should be proud of yourself for your accomplishments.**_

_I'm not. All I can think about is the--_

_**--look on her face when she saw you with Jade, yes, I know. The problem is that you are focusing on something you could not have changed. That is the way it happened and it did not happen any other way. Take your mind off the subject and focus on your accomplishments this day. You have been offered employment in a place you believe you will enjoy working. You went to a dance, despite your hatred for such occasions. You enjoyed Monica's company, however briefly. You dueled Jade and won your favorite card back from her.**_

_I suppose all that's been good... I just hope I can make amends with Monica soon. That's all I really care about at this point._ Kyle sighed again and began to get ready for bed. He left his computer active; he needed that for his continuous search for another Kazejin. So far, nothing had come up. He almost felt like giving up hope. _The only one I've ever heard of is the one Jade's carrying. And she won't want to give that one up. Especially not after tonight.  
_He had gotten his dress clothes off and was in only a pair of black shorts when there was a knock at the door. He groaned in annoyance, crossed the apartment, and flung the door open.

There stood Monica.

_Damn--!_

"This is the second time tonight I've caught you with your shirt off," she commented, crossing her arms. "Should I be worried?"

"Uh..." Kyle wasn't sure if she was trying to be serious or funny. He opted not to respond appropriately to either possibility for fear of choosing incorrectly.

She harrumphed. "You gonna invite me in, or have you already got company?"

Kyle clamped his jaw shut at that one, but stepped aside and beckoned her in. She stepped through the doorway and strode over to the middle of the room; Kyle shut the door.

For several moments, neither of them said anything. They simply stared at each other, as if waiting for the other to say something.

"Fine, I'll start," Monica said. "I want to know why you didn't say anything to me about that other girl. I gave you an opportunity and you didn't take it."

Kyle hung his head. "I hadn't expected to see her there. And the look on your face seemed to say that you didn't really care even if I _could _explain."

"You're probably right about that," Monica responded. "But you could have at least tried. If I hadn't listened to you then, I would've at least remembered what you told me and waited until I could believe it. Or until I could find out the truth."

He groaned. "I'm really sorry, Monica..."

"You should be," she snapped. "You couldn't even utter a single syllable in your defense. The way she was looking at you seriously had me believing that she wanted to go with you."

"Well, then, what about me?" he asked. "Did you bother to see the look on _my _face? Did you think I was happy to see her there?"

"What I thought was that you were engaging in playful verbal sparring and that you were going to go off with her and forget I even existed. And you _did _go off with her." She cocked her head slightly, and her expression softened. "But not in the way I thought you would."

He looked back up at Monica, slightly surprised. "You followed us out?"

She shook her head. "Julian was at the door, remember? He heard everything. Heard her challenge you, heard the stakes..."

Kyle stared at her.

"I was going to leave and just go home and forget about..." She blinked rapidly and then shook her head. "Never mind. But when I was leaving, Julian pulled me aside and told me about what happened."

Kyle let out a small sigh of relief. "So you know what she really wanted, then?"

"Yeah, I know. She wanted your Gate Guardian cards." She rocked her head to the other side. "It was Jade, wasn't it?"

He nodded dismally.

"Yeah, I've heard about her. She's been going after those cards for a while now. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten an entire set yet. There're other sets out there than just the one you two were fighting over tonight."

Kyle snorted. "Only three sets in existence. They'd be well-hidden from public view."

"So she went after you?"

"Yeah. Tonight wasn't the first time she's done that. I've run afoul of her a few times now."

Monica blinked. "A few times? You've never told me about her before."

He huffed. "She only wants the Gate Guardian cards, and since those aren't really your problem, there wasn't much point."

They both let out a sigh and said nothing for a few more moments. Monica sat down on the couch and silently beckoned Kyle to sit down next to her.

He did so. She looked him in the eye. "You could have told me about her. I've only heard about her by reputation, never seen her before tonight."

"She's got talent where that's concerned," he said. "What have you heard about her?"

"That she can be outright dangerous sometimes. That she'll do just about everything she can to get what she wants. That she's so pretty, she's thrown guys' concentration off in duels." Monica looked at Kyle in slight concern. "You don't think that's true, do you?"

He pursed his lips. "I wouldn't be surprised if there were at least a few shreds of truth in that."

"That pretty much confirms it." She sighed. "Do you find her attractive?"

"It depends in what capacity you're asking me, Monica," he answered.

She scowled. "I want an honest answer out of you. So give one to me. As a female-appreciative member of the opposite sex, do you find her attractive?"

"Yes," he answered shortly.

She harrumphed. "Thought so."

"Hey, look, you go around ogling guys because of their looks, too, okay?" he snapped. "Matter of fact, I think that not only is she attractive, but if she wanted to, and tried hard enough, she could have just about any guy on the face of this planet. But do you think I really care about her looks? The only thing about her that worries me is her dueling skill. She almost got what she _really_ wanted tonight. And what's stopping her from getting the Gate Guardian set is not my appearance, but my skill. What stopped me from getting her Kazejin when we last dueled was not her appearance, but her skill. And it'll be skill, in the end, that determines which way our little war goes."

Amazingly, Monica gave him a little smile. "Good for you. You've successfully defended yourself with honesty."

He sighed. "You and your little tests. You'll be the death of me."

"Got that right. Me and no one else." Her smile widened.

"Hmph." He reached up to her cheek; his fingertips drifted along that surface, and his eyes displayed worry. "Monica..."

The makeup there had been streaked by a tear stream.

Her eyes widened and she turned away from his touch. "I... um... I just got splashed with a little water... some clumsy oaf at the dance tripped and had a cup of..."

"Monica, you wanted an honest answer from me," he said softly. "At least do me the same courtesy."

She looked back up at him. Her eyes were watering slightly. "Kyle... I thought..." She let out a sigh of exasperation and tried again. "Were you... were you happy with me? When we were dancing?"

He blinked in surprise. "Of course I was."

"It's just... I let my guard down to you for that one moment, and you just seemed to take me in and accept me, for that one moment..." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I felt happy. Not satisfied-happy – just _happy_-happy. It's been such a long time since I've felt that way, just happy for a simple thing..."

Her eyes seemed to take a sudden interest in her lap. "Then when I saw you with her, it just... it hurt. There I was thinking maybe you and I could dance some more, and there you were with another girl."

"I wanted to tell you," he said. "I just couldn't find the words." He tentatively placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yes, I think Jade is attractive. And I think you're attractive, too. For now, my business with her is finished; she won't demand a rematch tonight. So I'm not going to worry about her. Don't you worry about her either."

"Not worried about her," she said. "It's me. Now I'm afraid to let my guard down again."

He looked at her. "Do you want to?"

"I'm not sure." She looked back up at him, her face twisted with reluctance. "I did, but after that... I'm not sure."

"What do you want, then?"

"I want..." She sighed. "I don't know."

They looked at each other for several moments.

Then, slowly, she leaned down and placed her head against his chest. "Hold me for a while."

He blinked, but then gently wrapped his arms around her.

They stayed just like that for a long time.

--

Monica squirmed, and her eyes slowly blinked open.

She was lying down on the couch... still in Kyle's apartment. And instantly she knew she'd been there for hours.

Her eyes widened and she gasped slightly. _What time is it?_ she wondered, feeling both slightly frantic and more than a little embarrassed. She'd never meant to stay _this_ long!

Sunlight was only just beginning to creep over the horizon and into his eastward-facing windows, and even that light was obscured by the blinds that covered them. She looked around for Kyle and found him a moment later; no longer was he on the couch and holding her, but instead asleep on the floor. Only a pillow and a baggy sweatsuit protected him from having to roll around on the rug.

She squirmed again and found that at some point, Kyle had produced a blanket and drawn it up over her. There was no pillow under her head, but she was short enough to be fully stretched out on the couch without being forced onto the armrests. She fought the inclination to snuggle further into the blanket and fall back to sleep.

Instead, she let out a sigh and rubbed at her eyes – some of her makeup came away with her hand. "God..." she groaned. She threw the blanket aside – her dress was now quite wrinkled in several places – and sought out the bathroom, where she spent the next few minutes washing her face.

When she came back out, she had another inclination. This one begged her to quickly take her leave and pretend it hadn't happened. But as she stepped toward the kitchenette counter to retrieve her purse, she became aware of two things. The first was that her feet were bare; her shoes were lying discarded next to the couch while her feet were treading the cold linoleum of Kyle's kitchen.

The second was that Kyle's eyes were open and watching her every move. They both looked at each other for several moments.

"Feel better?" he asked simply. There was no trace of mockery or condescension in his voice – only curiosity.

Her answer was a silent shrug.

"Kyle rose to a seated position and fixed Monica with a look of sincerity. "You can trust me, you know. I won't take advantage of it if you do."

"That much is obvious," she responded softly. "I don't know anyone I'd trust more right now..."

He offered her a slight grin. "Oh, how the world plays its tricks."

"Yeah..." She played with the strap on her purse for a moment. "Know something?"

"Some would say I don't. What should I know?"

She gave him a strained smile. "I think... you're the only guy I've ever known who didn't make some sort of implication towards me about how much he'd like to... well, you know..."

He knew. And nodded.

"Come to think of it... why _haven't_ you said anything like that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You need to know?"

"I'd like to."

"Okay... for so many years, you and I hated each other so much..." He shrugged. "It never crossed my mind. And then, after your uncle died..."

"You started being nice to me. I never understood that, though. Why was his death the catalyst?"

"It wasn't, but it was the first opportunity I had to change. So I took it. It takes too much energy to be hateful."

"Figured that out, did you?"

"Yeah. But I guess I shouldn't keep you if you're wanting to leave."

She blushed. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Deja vu." He smiled. "That's what I thought when I realized how tired you were."

Monica only turned a deeper shade of red. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't be."

"Thanks... but I really should go..."

He shrugged. "If you're sure, but I was going to offer you some breakfast..."

She shook her head. "No... thanks, but..."

"Well, in that case, would you like to go out sometime?"

The question had come directly from his brain, almost bypassing his mouth altogether in the process. It hung there for a moment as the two of them stared at each other.

She blinked. "You're... actually asking me on a date?"

"That seems to have been the intent of the question, yes." He suddenly grinned. "Remember the Starbuck's offer?"

"Huh? ... Oh! Yeah." She groaned. "Guess we both forgot about that, huh?"

"Well, here's our chance to do better. Let's go out to Starbuck's for breakfast."

She laughed. His grin only widened. "What? Did I say something funny?"

"Sorry," she giggled. "That just seems... such a bizarre place to start dating!"

"So you'd prefer Dunkin' Donuts, or what?"

She only laughed harder, and it took her several moments to finally regain her composure. "No, no... Starbuck's is fine." She couldn't stop giggling. "Just, um... I should get back to my place and change first, okay?"

"Of course," he conceded. "Sorry to keep you so long."

"It's okay, I..." She gave him a genuine smile. "I enjoy the company."

"Then we have something in common, after all."

"We do, at that."

-------


	3. Mishap and Coincidence

_A/N: Here's Chapter 3, for your reading pleasure. Getting impatient for active plot yet? Don't worry, it's coming._

Voakands: Few things about stories leave a bad taste in my mouth as plots that have endings you can spot from a mile away. Unless, of course, those stories are well-written – in which case, I don't mind nearly as much.

Mira: From what I've read of the manga, Yugi's grandfather was supposed to be a bit of an annoying geezer anyway, at least in the beginning. And I like the roller coaster analogy! Kudos!

Chibigreen: Thanks! It's hard for me to balance the two. If there's no action, the story's dull, but if there's no plot development, one never gets from point A to point B. Let me know if you see either of those happening.

-------

They met each other at the café. The place was part of the local bookstore, so when they found each other in the food court, they'd already each picked out a book to read, just in case the conversation died out. They both chuckled at this realization.

"I guess we're not planning on saying much, are we?" Kyle inquired.

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love to talk about something. But if we don't find anything to talk about... well..." Monica shrugged. "We can at least refer to books for topics of conversation."

"Quite so." Kyle pointed to the waiting line. "Shall we?"

"Yes, indeed." She grinned and joined him in waiting; they perused the menu for several moments. When Monica finally approached the waitress, she said, "I'd like a bear claw and a large Frappuccino."

The waitress glanced at Kyle. "And what would you like?"

"Hmm. I think I'll have the same, thanks."

"Two bear claws and two large Frappuccinos, coming up."

As the waitress set to work, Monica looked to Kyle in surprise. "I always took you for someone who liked his coffee boiling hot."

"Usually I am," he answered. "But what harm is there in trying something new? At least this won't sear my mouth."

"I suppose you're right," she said. "I've known a few hot coffee drinkers who really didn't like the frozen kind, though. Said the cold took away from 'the experience'." She scoffed. "Experience. Please. There's more of an 'experience' to be had with the frozen stuff, enjoying the taste while at the same time downing it fast enough that it doesn't make your mouth go numb, having the right amount of whipped cream with each sip..."

He chuckled. "You sound like an expert on savoring frozen coffee."

"Maybe I am," she sniffed.

"Yeah, sure," he grinned. "You're the kind who always drinks a Pepsi in the morning and then rushes out to class feeling horribly late."

She winced. "Tell me you haven't been watching me through the window."

Kyle simply laughed and shook his head.

"Whew!" She made a show of wiping her brow in relief. "That description gave me the creeps... you hit it dead-on. I don't even know why I feel late going places, either. Most of the time I'm way early."

He shrugged. "Better early than late."

"A fine phrase to hear from the dreaded Kyle McCraine," she snickered. "You didn't even show up half the time in gym class, as I heard it."

"You heard right. There didn't seem to be any point in showing up for more than half the time anyway. I still passed."

"Not exactly with flying colors, I'll bet."

"C is still a passing grade, last time I checked."

"Hmm." She looked him over. "You seem to be in good shape... looks can be deceiving, though."

"I'm in the best shape of my life, thank you very much," he scoffed.

The waitress handed them their breakfast, for which they both thanked her. She couldn't help but grin at the verbal sparring – she wished she heard more of it at the counter.

Monica and Kyle sought out the nearest open table and took their seats across from each other. Monica stirred her Frappuccino with her straw for a few moments, getting the whipped cream to sink into the semi-frozen fluid's depths. Kyle took a bite out of his bear claw and watched her for a few moments.

"So," she said. "When did you decide to quit smoking?"

"A couple weeks before I moved out on my parents," Kyle answered. "It wasn't doing me any good. I don't even know why I got into it in the first place."

"Well, there goes my next question."

He smiled.

"What was it like, living with them?"

His smile faded and he sighed. "I don't even know if I could describe it. But... he wanted me to just follow his plan. Fall in line. Do what he wanted me to do."

"'He'? Your dad?"

"Yeah." He absently stirred his coffee. "I think his entire plan was to make sure that he and Mom were taken care of in their old age. I think the last thing he wanted was to see me putting them in a nursing home." He scoffed slightly. "Actually, I shudder at the idea, too... give them six weeks and they'd be running the joint."

She gave a light chuckle. "Sounds like paradise."

"Getting out was paradise. I mean, can you imagine what that was like, having all those expectations piled onto your shoulders like that?"

"To be honest... yeah, I do," she answered.

His expression softened. "Your mom, right?"

"Yeah. She wanted me to be this prissy character, just like her... all upper crust, with my nose in the air..."

"I think you accomplished that part."

She glared. "Anyway. She'd always wanted to take me out of public school and put me into one of those high-rolling Catholic schools, full of all the snobs I was hoping to avoid."

"How'd you manage to stay out?"

"I pretty much walked out whenever the subject came up. She seemed to think I didn't have any friends in public school and so it was pointless for me to stay there anyway... and she was right... but I didn't want to go to a private school. I at least wanted to stay among the familiar."

"Even if you hated it?"

She nodded. "At least I could cope with it. I'd already learned to." She offered him a shrug. "I guess it doesn't matter now. We're both out of there. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on going back."

"There's not much reason for me to go back," Kyle admitted. "But there're a couple people I might go back for."

"Chubs, for example?"

He nodded. "And his mom. I owe those two a lot."

"How so?" she inquired.

"They took me in for the first couple days after I left my parents. His mom never asked any questions – at least, she didn't ask _me_ – but instead made sure I felt at home while I was there."

Monica smiled. "Wow. She sounds great."

"She really is. I've often found myself wondering if there's some way I could repay those two for how they helped me... but I'm always frustrated to not find a solution." He took a sip of his coffee, then smacked his lips for a moment. "Interesting."

She grinned. "That's what someone says when they're trying to be nice about something someone else likes."

"Not like that. I've just never tried this stuff before." He looked at it for a moment. "I guess it takes some getting used to, huh?"

"A little bit," she nodded. "I think it's good stuff, myself."

"Oh, it's got the right taste and everything. And it sure wakes you up, just not in the traditional 'coffee' way. More like... cold shower."

She giggled. "If you say so. I don't take cold showers. I don't need to wake up _that_ badly."

"Sometimes I do," he responded. "A way to snap back to reality. I can't be in the dream world all the time... much as I might like to."

"Tell me about it," she sighed. Then she glanced at the Millennium Shield, in its perpetually small form as a pendant on the gold chain about his neck. She pointed at it and smiled. "That's pretty."

"Hm? Oh." He chuckled. "I almost don't even notice it there anymore."

"From your Egypt trip, you said?"

He nodded. "Yeah. A souvenir, I guess."

She leaned back. "You know, I just thought of something. You said my uncle's death wasn't the reason why you wanted to start being nice to me, but you didn't tell me what _was_. And it occurs to me that all of this happened _after_ this little venture you took to the other side of the world. Did something happen there?"

He raised an eyebrow, and he could sense Theoris grow distinctly uncomfortable with this line of questioning. _If you had a body, you'd be shifting around._

**I would, indeed.**

"I suppose something did," Kyle finally answered. "Gave me a new perspective. It was a slow thing, at first, but the realization came to me that... I didn't _have_ to be a monster. I didn't _have_ to be a creep, or an asshole, or what-have-you. I could just be a _person_. My own person, regardless of what everyone else wanted me to be."

"'Everyone else' being your parents, I'm assuming."

"Mostly. Why do you say that?"

"Because I've found that teachers respect their students' own decisions a lot more than they respect a student's parents' decisions. If they see a student sitting there taking orders from his parents all the time, the teachers wonder if the student isn't just going to become a clone." She rocked her head to one side and smiled. "And in this country, cloning is illegal."

"Okay, okay, so my parents," Kyle amended. "They wanted me to be a doctor. Especially my dad. He was trying to train me up to become one. He always had me studying medical journals, taking classes to accommodate the field I'd eventually enter in college, he was saving up money for grad school..."

She winced. "I wonder what it was like for him to find his son moving out on him."

"I wouldn't know. Zack, a friend of his, Chubs, and I all moved my stuff out of my room while my parents were gone to work. All that was left behind were a couple pieces of furniture that couldn't quite make it. I left a note for them... but to this day I don't know if they ever read it." He chewed his lip for a moment. "Probably going in to see my room almost completely empty was enough for them."

"I would imagine," she said softly.

"What about you? How'd you move out?"

She shrugged. "After graduation, I didn't have any reason to stick around my own parents, so I lined up an apartment, and just... left. In front of my parents, though. I wanted them to see that I didn't want anything more to do with Mom's 'plan' for me. Should've seen her... she was screaming and bellowing the entire time. Almost hit me, she was so angry. But what could she do?"

"Nothing, I guess," Kyle answered. "You were eighteen by that time."

"Yep. I had money, I was accepted into a college of my own choice... I turned down the college that Mom wanted me to go to." She gave Kyle a wry smirk. "It was an Ivy League university, too."

He blinked in surprise. "You turned down Ivy League to move to Oregon and go to a nowhere college?"

"Honestly, I don't think I'd have been able to handle it," she said. "Knowing that I was going where she wanted me to go... even if I eventually turned to a field of my own choice. Plus the workload there would've been appalling. I just wanted out."

He nodded. "Out of everything in her plan."

"Even if it meant..."

"...going somewhere you might enjoy less."

She gave him an embarrassed smile. "Sorry... I guess I'm preaching to the choir, huh?"

"A little." He smiled back. "But don't worry. I don't mind it. Talking about it with someone who understands can be a lot more therapeutic than talking with a counselor."

"Got that right." She smirked. "So, are you gonna finish that breakfast of yours, or what?"

He scoffed. "You're one to talk, you haven't touched yours!"

They shared a moment of laughter as they consumed their food, and each other's time.

--

_Chubtacular: ...Wow._

McKaroon: Surely you have something less obvious to say than that. Kyle rolled his eyes. Chubs could be funny at times, but other times his responses were too obvious to even try to supplement.

_Chubtacular: Okay... I'm thin as a rod and I'm wearing a necktie._

_McKaroon: ...Smartass._

Chubtacular: You know it. So what, does Monica have the hots for you now?

McKaroon: I don't know. Maybe you should ask her.

Chubtacular: And ruin all your fun? No way. Getting involved is something I'd like to avoid, thank you.

McKaroon: Afraid?

Chubtacular: Hmm, what was your first clue?

McKaroon: The dazzling repartee. You have a tendency to rely on sarcasm and wit to get you out of a situation you don't like.

Chubtacluar: Damn, you figured me out.

McKaroon: Oh, I figured that part out a long time ago. What I don't understand is why you continue to think a relationship like this is never going to work out. It seems to be going fine, to me.

Chubtacular: She spent the night at your apartment by accident. Unintentional, mi amigo. She wouldn't have stayed if she'd realized that was going to happen. And you can't have a relationship based entirely on mishap and coincidence.

_McKaroon: Why not? Some people manage their entire lives on a relationship like that._

Chubtacular: Celebrities don't count. Those relationships are only as deep as their publicists can make them.

Kyle snorted at that one. "I suppose that's true enough," he muttered aloud.

_McKaroon: We're just two people who happen to have been caught in similar circumstances. Look at how far we've come. We went from hating each other wholeheartedly to willing – and even happy – to spend time together._

Chubtacular: And that's a proud achievement, don't get me wrong. But do you think you'd actually be able to manage a full turnaround?

McKaroon: We may as well have already. She called it a date. And I'm in no mood to argue with her what to call it.

Chubtacular: Full turnaround = marriage

Kyle winced. "Augh!"

_McKaroon: ...Thanks a lot, my blood pressure is skyrocketing. Don't think I can't hear you laughing, either._

Chubtacular: I wouldn't dream of it.

McKaroon: Let's move on to another subject...

Chubtacular: Fine by me.

McKaroon: How's dueling going?

Chubtacular: Going great. I finally made it to fourth tier.

McKaroon: That's good news. Your deck's doing well, I hope, with those prize cards.

Chubtacular: From the Madison tournament? Oh, yeah. Without those I wouldn't have made it to fourth. And I've been getting some more real good cards along the way, too. Tourney winnings let me afford them.

McKaroon: Good to hear. Heard anything about bigger tournaments coming up?

Chubtacular: Yeah, a message board was mentioning a rumor about a really huge one in Japan coming in the next couple months. Like, Industrial Illusions or KaibaCorp is sponsoring.

McKaroon: That's what I've been hearing, too, but no one's confirming anything.

Chubtacular: Well, if it's real, we'll hear about it soon enough, I think. But if it's KaibaCorp, Monica has reason to be worried.

McKaroon: Yeah, I know, the Blue-Eyes cards. I'm surprised Kaiba hasn't found them yet; she's played a Blue-Eyes out in the open at least once.

Chubtacular: I know. Maybe he's got something planned for her?

McKaroon: ...You're not helping.

Chubtacular: He's not that dumb. He'll be after them, wait and see.

McKaroon: Have I ever told you how much fun it is talking to you? You're so positive and outgoing.

Chubtacular: I know. It's one of my greatest charms.

Kyle scoffed. "Yeah, if you were a snake charmer..."

_McKaroon: Okay, I've got stuff to take care of. I'll talk to you later._

Chubtacular: K, ttyl

Kyle logged off, then leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Well, that was productive," he muttered.

**_If you wish to be productive, Kyle, perhaps you should speak with Monica._**

To what end, might I ask?

**Ask her if she would like to spend more time with you.**

You mean, arrange another date?

**That is the idea, yes. If you wish this relationship to "work out", it would only be a sensible choice to spend more time with her. And if she wishes a relationship with you, I believe she would say yes – unless there is some bizarre custom among your culture I have yet to encounter.**

Kyle snorted. _I'm sure there are lots of those. But for now... yeah, calling her might be a good idea._

He picked up the phone and dialed a number. Seconds later...

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, Monica, it's me."

_"Hey, there. Whatcha up to?"_

"Nothing much, just taking a break from studies."

_"Same here. I've got some pizza in the oven, too."_

"Sounds like a perfect dinner."

_"Doesn't it though?"_

Kyle grinned. "Listen, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get together again, sometime."

_"I thought you'd never ask."_ Kyle could hear the smile in her voice. _"When and where?"_

_Well, well,_ he thought. _Looks like things are turning out just fine. Take that, Chubs._

His grin widened.

-------


	4. My Kingdom For a Card

_A/N: Happy Father's Day! An especially happy one to all you dads who have stayed with your families and maintained healthy relationships with all the members in them. Despite your teenage kids yelling and screaming about the unfairness of punishment for smoking pot, they'll thank you in the end._

Anyway, sorry about the lack of consistent updating. That should be rectified shortly, as I have a due date for the final chapter of this story in mind. I'll let you know if I achieve that goal.

Mira: Well, don't worry. Kyle and Monica's creator encourages people to peep in... including yourself!

Voakands: That's a fair question. He'll see his share of action soon enough, though, so I hope you'll stay tuned for that. Thanks for the criticism; I do appreciate it.

Eusine: You've got the idea, m'friend. And now to build on it.

Lumen: Keep those eyes popped, that event might occur at any time! You know me too well.

-------

A Week Later

--

Kyle stepped through the door of his apartment, shut it, slumped against the wall, and grinned at the ceiling. _Wow. What a roller coaster ride._

He'd just gotten back from another date with Monica; this time they'd gone out for dinner to a casual sit-down restaurant. He'd stuffed himself with a giant bacon cheeseburger platter while she'd delved into a fajita combo. Afterwards, they'd shared a huge brownie topped with two scoops of chocolate ice cream. They'd giggled like a pair of hopeless lovebirds as they'd fed each other portions of that brownie mixed with the slowly melting ice cream.

While they'd been waiting for their food, they'd engaged in a couple of friendly duels by sacrifice rules; they were quickly becoming the standard for duelists everywhere. It was almost as if everyone was in preparation for another huge tourney, though nobody could say when such an event might take place.

_That's our fourth date so far_, he thought. _And it's got no signs of slowing down. This is great._

**I am sure Chubs will be most disappointed in his predictions**, Theoris commented.

Kyle chuckled. _He just might be, at that._ He went to sit down on his couch. _For now, though, a little R&R. And checking the deck._

As he removed his deck from his pocket, however, he noticed that there was a pile of carefully stacked cards already on the coffee table. He frowned and picked up the pile. _I don't remember putting this here..._

**_You did not._**

He raised an eyebrow. _You know something about this?_

**That "pile" is a deck. I had been giving consideration to building one.**

This time the other eyebrow went up to join its partner. _You're building a deck, Theoris?_

**I do not believe it is anything to be proud of yet. But I am taking my cues from an expert, am I not?**

Kyle grinned. _Hard to say._

**Until you tell me otherwise, I shall assume that I am. In which case, I simply need to discover a style with which I am comfortable, and set up a series of cards suited to that style.**

Yep, you're getting it. Kyle considered the alleged deck. _Can I take a look at it?_

**If you wish.**

I'm just interested to see what you're into. He began to flip through the configuration – and found himself rather pleasantly surprised. _Wow. This isn't half-bad, Theoris... in fact, it's not bad at all._ He grinned. _Very much into the soldiers, I see._

**_I was in the Egyptian standing army, Kyle. The role of a soldier is to protect the land on which he lives, and also acquire new land when need be. A most honorable profession, would you not agree?_**

Of course I would. Kyle cocked his head. _When have you been building this, anyway?_

**While you sleep. You have no use for your body during that time, correct?**

Kyle snorted. _Does that make my body a time share?_

**"Time share"?**

Meaning one of us gets to use it at certain times and the other gets to use it the rest of the time. The term generally applies to buildings, but it works here, too.

**...My apologies. I do not mean to act out of turn. I do realize that it is your body I inhabit, not my own.** Theoris sent a wave of disappointment – directed at himself. **_Even Khensthoth would not have been so petty as this._**

Don't worry about it, Kyle assured him. _If there's something you want to do while I'm sleeping... as long as it isn't dangerous, and you're not going to get caught... I'm okay with it._ He smiled. _Hey, if nothing else, now we'll have something we can both relate to._

**Nevertheless... I did not approve when Khensthoth took control of my own body...**

But I'm not you, and you're not Khensthoth, Kyle reminded him. _You're building a Duel Monsters deck, and that could be taken to mean that you want to embrace one of the facets of this world. Which is good, because you'll have to get used to this world._

**This game is one of the few things that seems to have survived to this era**, Theoris noted. **_It had a much dangerous form in my time._**

_Well, whatever happened back then, you obviously made it through. And now the game is relatively harmless... long as no one else comes around looking to play Shadow Games with me._

**_To be honest, Kyle... this is why I was constructing a deck. So that if I must ever engage in such a game, I would not be ill-prepared, and I might wage a battle in a style I am comfortable with._**

You think you may have to play a Shadow Game?

**It is apparently not out of the question for you to do so. It may yet occur.**

Let's both hope it doesn't.

--

The Next Day

--

Kyle felt bored. There was no real reason, other than that he didn't have classes or work today. He'd already slept in a good portion of the day, but he wanted something to do.

That led him to mount his motorcycle and head off to the mall. _Who knows? The card shop there might have a sale going._

**_Sale? Do not all stores have "sales"? They would not attain riches if they did not, would they?_**

Kyle grinned as he pulled up to a red light. _Okay, yeah, there are two different meanings for the word "sale" these days. It can mean you're selling something, or it can mean that the price of something has been reduced in order to encourage buyers to get whatever the item is._

**Then the stores do not want the items they have "on sale"?**

Sometimes, that's the case. That's a clearance sale; they want to have space to sell other things. When something's on a clearance sale, usually the price is drastically reduced. Other times, the stores want to compete with their counterparts.

**_Compete? As in a game?_**

Kyle thought for a minute, trying to find a way Theoris would understand. _In the markets you visited in your time, were there several vendors that were trying to sell the same thing?_

**It was not a usual happenstance, but there would occasionally be a traveling vendor selling various items. His price would be such that either we would choose him or choose the vendor in order to keep as much currency we had already earned as possible.**

Kyle laughed out loud. _You were cheap!_

Theoris considered this term for a few moments. **_I suppose we were. But for good reason, I believe. "Money" was not so widespread in Egypt, or in my time, as it is here and now._**

Kyle parked his cycle on the west side of the mall and headed inside. _I suppose not. Sucks to be you._

**_Sucks...?_**

Kyle laughed again, drawing the attention of a couple people heading out the door he'd just entered. _Never mind, Theoris. My point is that the way the traveling vendor worked is kind of the same way competing stores work. In order to draw customers in, stores will advertise a low price of certain things, lower than their competitors choose – or can afford – to match._

**So a store solicits your attention by saying you are not required to pay the amount other stores ask?**

Exactly! That gives us the freedom to choose the service we want.

**Are there competing prices for every item to be found in a store?**

Most stores operate that way, yeah. Anywhere you can find something, you can probably find it in a competing store for a higher or a lower price.

**How can you be expected to find everything you need in one place?**

Oh, you can. The problem is always the price. Generally people want to save as much of their money as they can, just as you did back in your time. That means visiting different stores, because one store can't have a lower price than every other store has for all of their stock. They wouldn't make any money that way.

**...This system is utterly confusing.**

Kyle laughed yet again. _Maybe. It works for me, though._

The mall's various walkways were crowded, even on the second floor. Kyle had to be very careful not to bump into people, though at times, it couldn't be helped. Fortunately for him, none of those he brushed by seemed to care; they were busy with their own affairs, such as picking through the goodies they'd just bought or talking the ears off their friends.

Kyle's eyes wandered as he walked along. _Hmm, one-day half-off sale at the donut shop... candy store has assorted Duel Monsters candy..._ He rolled his eyes. _The term "eat me" takes on a new meaning there..._

**"Eat me"?**

...Never mind. He took the escalator and noted along the way that the local jewelry store was closing up early. _Hmm. You'd think they'd stay open longer for the kids in secondary school that can't get out here until late afternoon. Or maybe they're just having one of those days..._

Kyle knew what "having one of those days" was like. He'd had far too many of them.

He stuck near the second floor railing and idly looked down at the first floor shops as he walked along. _Babbage's, K&B Toys, RadioShack... all full of customers..._

His eyes flicked across the center of the first floor walkway–

And he spotted an unmistakable figure.

_Uh-oh._

**_Her? Again? Will she never stop pursuing you?_**

If it was me she was after, she'd've had me by now. _She's certainly pretty enough and smart enough._

**Despite Monica?**

Kyle ignored the comment. _She wants something._

**Other than your Labyrinth Brothers?**

_I'm about to find out._

**Are you sure that is a wise course of action?**

No, actually, I know for a fact that it isn't. But on the other hand, if I ignore her, she's gonna give chase. You know that from previous experience. Better to just get it overwith. Besides, this gives me a chance to at least talk to her.

Kyle took the next available U-turn junction with an escalator and went back down to the first floor. He approached the person in question and crossed his arms. "You wanted something?"

Jade hadn't once looked up from the massive fantasy novel she was apparently engrossed in, not even when Kyle had spotted her. With deliberation, she produced a bookmark and placed it between the pages, then snapped the book shut. She looked up at him, her green eyes ablaze. "If I didn't, you wouldn't have seen me."

Kyle tentatively sat down next to her. "Your talent for avoiding sight gets to be rather irritating for someone who might want to find you."

"I've told you before. If I don't want to be found, there's no point in looking for me. I'll let you find me when I want you to find me."

"Fine, so you decided you wanted me to find you here. Why?"

She pulled a scrunchie from the pocket of her blue windbreaker and bound her brown hair into a ponytail. "It suits me. You have something I want. Several 'somethings', in fact."

"And you've got something I wouldn't mind having. I guess we understand each other."

"We've defeated each other for rights to the Labyrinth Brothers we wanted."

"Your point?"

"I want to duel you again. Winner take all."

Kyle frowned. "You're not serious. I've got three cards to the combo; you only have one."

"I'm quite serious, and I'm aware of your advantage, thank you very much." Jade got to her feet and tucked her book under her arm. "But perhaps you fail to realize there are better cards than the Labyrinth Brothers."

"Not at all. If you think that's the case, go ahead and keep thinking it. Next tournament we meet, you'll find out how wrong you are." Kyle also stood and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm not interested in dueling for them now."

"Fine, then I hereby challenge you to a duel."

"Denied."

She raised an eyebrow. "'Denied'? You're not worried about word getting out?"

"I don't even care anymore. You can try to blow my reputation all you like, but I won't spend all my time fighting you over the Labyrinth Brothers. I've got other things I'd rather be doing."

Jade pursed her lips. "You're hard to convince."

"Duh. 'Impossible' is a more accurate term." He cocked his head to one side. "You didn't seriously think you could talk me into it, did you?"

She didn't respond; instead, she turned around and began to walk away.

Kyle stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. _As soon as I blink, she's going to disappear._

**Just turn around and enjoy yourself. You have no reason to pay attention to her.**

He felt an itch in his right eye, and he couldn't help but blink twice to get rid of it.

When he looked up...

He frowned. _Or maybe I was wrong..._

He could still see Jade moving slowly away.

_Does she want me to follow her...?_

**Be careful, Kyle. I have never perceived her to be one to so easily give up.**

Kyle felt a sudden urge, and he actually found himself rationalizing following Jade. _The bathroom's in that direction, anyway._

**Kyle!**

Don't worry, Theoris, it's just a bathroom break. Kyle started after Jade, moving with the urgency one might expect when one needs to visit a convenient bathroom... but he also kept one eye on her as he moved.

She turned right and moved into the hallway at the end of which the bathrooms resided.

Kyle began to wonder. _Does she know ahead of time where I'm going and what I'm going to do? Is that how I always end up spotting her right when she says she wants to be found?_

Doesn't matter, I still need to go.

With that rationalization in mind, he ducked into that hallway, as well.

The hall was a good fifty feet in length, and at the end of it, there was a right turn and another hallway at least that long. Along the far wall were the bathroom doors.

Jade had disappeared.

Kyle sighed, knowing not to look for her, and made for the men's room. It was just beyond the corner of the turn, and he decided to jog for it. _Been a while since I've jogged._

But just as he moved past the corner, a hand shot out and grabbed his arm. He was stopped in his tracks and pulled backward. He twisted around, lightning-fast, to look into the face of the perpetrator.

Jade yanked Kyle to her, then released his arm and wrapped her arms about his neck...

And kissed him.

**_Kyle!_**

Kyle's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he awkwardly tried to push Jade away, but she had a secure hold on him and wasn't letting go so easily. The kiss wasn't rough, nor was it passionate...

_It's... it's..._

Jade wasn't forcing herself on Kyle, although she'd initiated the kiss. Instead, she seemed to be inviting him to take control of it.

_I have my deck on me, but she's not going for my pockets..._

Kyle's eyes were still open, and he looked into what he could see of Jade's face. Her eyes were closed, and all indications seemed to say that this really was what she wanted to do.

And, even as absurd as it was...

Kyle began to respond.

His hands drifted up to her cheeks, and his fingertips glided down her smooth skin. He kissed her in return, his lips moving against hers...

**_KYLE!_**

He suddenly "awakened" and stopped responding to her kiss. His fingers went rigid, and he grabbed her face and pushed her away.

They were both breathless for several moments. Her warm breath landed on his cheek, and a small part of him wanted to just pull her to him and kiss her again. He looked into her eyes. "Nice try. But trying to seduce me – and outside a public bathroom – isn't going to help your case."

She sighed, removed her arms from his neck, and planted her hands on her hips. "Look, I'm not trying to destroy your life or ravage your deck, I just want those cards."

"Sanga of the Thunder and Suijin are _my_ cards," Kyle responded. "I earned them, the same way you earned Kazejin. And Sanga, for that matter. You want them, you're going to have to earn them from me."

"There's nothing I can give you in exchange?" Jade's blazing green gaze caught his eyes and held them. "Nothing at all? It would be much simpler if I could just find something you wanted and give it to you with the Brothers as payment... dueling for them is rather a messy business, as we both know."

Kyle offered a wry smile. "Thanks, but no thanks. I told you, earn them. You'll get your chance at the next tournament. There'll be no edging around it as long as I'm their owner." He cocked his head. "You're about the most stubborn person I've ever met."

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't get what I wanted nearly as much." Jade allowed a hint of a smile. "You're quite the challenge. I like that."

"Glad to hear it. But right now, I'm just here to have a good day."

"Oh, am I interrupting your 'good day'? Heavens, what shall I do?" Jade scoffed. "Honestly, you and your whining about my 'intrusions' all the time. You're not even here with your girlfriend; you're window-shopping with not the slightest clue what the hell you're looking for. It's not like you're on a dance floor." She gave him a pointed look. "Trust me when I say I know you've had worse days than this. Just because I'm here doesn't mean your 'good day' is gone."

"No, but your entreaties for my cards are occupying a good portion of it." Kyle crossed his arms. "We've both made it clear what we want – one of us a bit more so than the other. But in the end, neither of us is going to be willing to give up what we have."

"Come now, Kyle, think about it... what if you win?"

"I've got too much to lose."

"You can't always focus on your prospective losses, Kyle. If I'd done that when I started dueling, I would never have made it as far as I have." She stepped away. "Consider it. I'll see you when you've made your decision."

She stepped back around the corner.

Kyle moved after her. "Wait–!"

She was gone.


	5. The Soulless

_A/N: And herewith, Chapter 5. I'm really sorry for making you all wait this long for an update, but the next couple of chapters have given me quite a block as of late and I've been trying to push through it. On top of that, my co-worker had a stroke recently, so I've been working double-duty._

Hmm, the kiss from last chapter seems to be quite the controversial move! I need to write more like that. But for now, you've got this chapter to contend with.

Wolf: Jade's always been a bit "forceful", if you'll note her past appearances.

Voakands: Theoris certainly is making some strange allowances in his life -- or lack thereof. As for the update, well, here one be! And also, Kyle is fourth tier.

Mira: Your comparison's not out of the question. And yeah, Kyle's being a little light about the entire thing, but that may change soon. And Jade's proving quite freaky for many people... which I'm sure she'd love.

Monica: "Plot-twistyness" is my life. And Theoris might have had cardiac arrest if he had a body... lucky he didn't, huh?

Wolfwings: Well, we're all human. Gotta take the good with the bad... but it makes for a more realistic observation, IMO.

-------

Chubtacular: She **WHAT?!**

McKaroon: See, this is precisely what I was afraid of. I'd tell you and you'd overreact.

Chubtacular: Overreact? Hardly, I think, when you consider she's never shown an interest in you before – only your cards.

McKaroon: So? It didn't mean anything. She tried to seduce me in order to get my GG set. And I said no. It's pretty simple, my friend.

Chubtacular: Think she got pictures of it?

Chubs could almost hear Kyle yelling aloud at that remark. He grinned to himself. Sure enough, Kyle's response was quick and sharp:

McKaroon: What, you want copies or something?

Chubtacular: No, it just occurred to me that she might try to use that as blackmail.

McKaroon: You mean threaten to hand a copy to Monica if I don't duel her?

Chubtacular: Just a thought. He shrugged. He saw no reason why this wouldn't be a perfectly logical thing to worry about; considering Jade's pattern of admittedly unstable behavior, such activities didn't seem to be above her.

It was becoming increasingly obvious to Chubs that few things were below this woman. He suppressed a shudder. _Thank God I'm still here and not out there._

McKaroon: No... I don't think so. She said she'd see me when my decision was made.

Chubtacular: Meaning she's going to pop up at the most inconvenient time possible.

McKaroon: Thanks for brightening my day, Chubs, I'm so glad I can count on you.

Chubtacular: Hey, just saying. And she might well force that decision on you.

Chubs' doorbell rang. He frowned. _Wonder who that could be._

Chubtacular: Hang on, doorbell.

McKaroon: K

He got up from the computer desk and made his way to the front door. His mom wasn't home from work yet and wouldn't be for a while. He nearly tripped over his discarded bookbag, loaded down with new materials for his new year in high school, and cursed at it as he pressed forward.

The doorbell rang again just as he was about to open the corresponding door. He rolled his eyes as he twisted the knob and pulled back on the door.

A woman dressed in FedEx clothing was standing there, holding an envelope marked Priority Overnight. He pushed the screen door open. "Yes?"

"Hi. Is Mr. Cody Smith here?" she inquired.

"That's me," he responded.

"Ah. All right." She pulled a clipboard out from under her armpit and held it out to him. "Sign on the lowest line, please."

"Sure." He did as instructed, then handed back the clipboard; subsequently he was given the envelope.

"Thanks," she said, turning to leave. "Have a good day."

"Uh-huh," he muttered, stepping back into the house. He eyed the package with curiosity for a moment, then looked to the return address – which was marked Kaiba Corporation.

His frown deepened. _KaibaCorp? What do they want with me?_ He made his way back towards his computer and sat down as he began pulling the envelope open. He then upended the contents of the folder in his lap.

What he got for his efforts were several official-looking documents with the KaibaCorp seal on them.

He turned to the computer.

Chubtacular: Hey, I got a package from KaibaCorp.

McKaroon: ?? What's in it?

Chubs looked at the top page... and his eyes bugged out.

"Oh, no way," he muttered. "No way... no way this can be right..."

After a few seconds of breathlessness, he turned back to the computer screen.

Chubtacular: ...oh, man, you are **NOT** going to believe this...

McKaroon: What, what is it?

Chubtacular: It's an invitation to a blowout tournament in Japan.

McKaroon: ...you're not serious.

Chubtacular: Totally serious. It's supposed to take place in a couple weeks, in Domino. They're calling it "Battle City", and since I'm a fourth-tier American duelist, I'm invited.

McKaroon: I'm fourth-tier. So's Monica.

Chubtacular: And you're both high-profile, too. I'm sure you'll get invited.

McKaroon: High-profile? Because of the Madison tourney, or something else?

Chubtacular: Both. Haven't you been to the grocery store recently?

McKaroon: Not really, I'm all stocked up and I usually get my stuff from the campus.

Chubtacular: Then I guess you haven't seen the most recent tabloids.

McKaroon: Why bother?

Chubtacular: Because it's only some of the greatest investigative fiction of all time. Plus it might sometimes have shreds of truth, to make the stories more juicy.

McKaroon: Yeah, right.

Chubtacular: Hey, if you want to argue, go get yourself a copy of the Journal Star. You and Monica are front cover.

McKaroon: What?

Chubtacular: Yep. It's a real cute pic, too. Take a look, then get back to me.

McKaroon: You're kidding me.

Chubtacular: Wish I was. There's an article, too, and the two of you are the star figures.

McKaroon: ...whatever. So, you gonna be prepared for this tourney?

Chubtacular: I sure hope so. I've saved up some money, I guess I'll go see if maybe I can get a deal on a few Fire attribute cards I've been drooling over lately.

McKaroon: That's a pretty picture.

Chubtacular: Har har. Go get a copy of that tabloid. And some good cards, while you're at it.

McKaroon: Think I will, at that. Ttyl

Chubtacular: K

Chubs logged off the Instant Messenger service, then got up and went to his room to rummage around for his savings. _Looks like I've got a lot of work to do... and the first task is to ask Mom for permission!_

--

Kyle took his motorcycle and headed to the nearest grocery store, his brow knit in worry. _Front cover? How the hell did that happen?_

About three minutes later, he found out precisely how it happened as he perused the checkout lane. Sure enough, there was a Journal Star rack – and the latest issue was almost out of stock. There were only two copies left in a rack clearly designed to hold at least two dozen.

He picked up one of the two copies and frowned at the cover. It showed him and Monica at the local coffee shop, giggling over their brownie and ice cream. _Uh-oh..._ He flipped through the issue to find the article Chubs had mentioned. It didn't take him long to find it; it seemed to be the most prominently displayed article in the tabloid.

Ever consider all those rigged games you hear rumors about? The Olympics, for example. Why they make the skiiers do drug tests and let the snowboarders off is a mystery; perhaps it has something to do with the term "half pipe".

Ever think about it happening in Duel Monsters tournaments?

In these rigged games, though, it doesn't relate to drug usage. If a duelist started in a tournament while stoned, he wouldn't get five seconds into a play before realizing his favorite monster card is instead a worthless trap. Neither would his opponent or the referee overseeing the match. No... instead, these rumored rigs are much different. Supposedly, they involve more than one player, playing for the same prize and intending to split it with their cohort(s).

Of course, rumors of these goings-on abound practically 24/7/365. Rarely is it, if ever, that these rumors even have the most minute substance to back them up; some people just enjoy crying foul for the attention it claims, while others do it out of sheer paranoia... or even boredom. Judges and players alike deny it time and time again.

Note that substantial evidence is rare... but not impossible to obtain. Enter one Monica Zocallos and add one Kyle McCraine into the equation – each with their own impressive credentials to offer.

Zocallos, 18, has always given her all at Duel Monsters, ever since she started playing. For two years running, she has appeared at virtually every major tournament, always ranking highly in those events. She is considered a favorite and despite her relatively low championship rate, heavy bets are consistently placed in her favor. She is undoubtedly a top-notch contender and is not easily bested by anyone.

On the other end of the scale is McCraine, also 18, who recently appeared on the DM radar with a little luck and a big BANG! This virtual unknown came out of nowhere to compete in the recent elite tournament sponsored by Madison Enterprises – and won, despite the restrictive rules and haphazard configuration of his Duel Monsters deck.

What do these two duelists have in common? Virtually nothing. Zocallos is careful and calculating, whereas McCraine is carefree and even reckless. Zocallos has a clear theme in her Dragon mastery; McCraine has no discernible theme of his own. They attend the same university and hail from the same hometown, but that doesn't mean anything...

Does it?

The Journal Star has learned of a rumor concerning these two mismatched contenders as being romantically involved with each other – a rumor that apparently has been verified by our investigative photographers. Perhaps Zocallos and McCraine are even "involved" to an extent that they might be trying to obtain the winnings of tournaments as a team. Case in point: the recent Madison tourney, which not only provided generous monetary rewards, but also exclusive sets of rare cards to its top ranks – of which these two were part. Surely McCraine would have little use for all of the 96 rare Duel Monsters cards he won in his deck; few duelists sport decks of over 70 cards.

Could he have imparted some of these cards to Zocallos? It's entirely possible. Rumors abound that one of the exclusive Blue-Eyes White Dragons stolen from Seto Kaiba (CEO of Kaiba Corporation) several months ago turned up at this tournament, only to be taken by either McCraine or Zocallos... and who wouldn't want the power of one of these cards at their side?

Sources speaking on condition of anonymity claim that Zocallos is indeed in ownership of at least one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons... and not only that, but possibly a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fusion monster card, as well. With such power at her disposal, Zocallos would be virtually untouchable in Duel Monsters.

Meanwhile, McCraine holds Sanga of the Thunder and Suijin – two of the three Labyrinth Brothers, whose powers best any and all in direct combat. How he acquired his first remains a mystery, and a mystery well-kept. However, few Duel Monsters aficionados don't know how he came across his second one – in a reckless gamble, he succeeded in wrenching it from the grasp of Abigail Madison herself. Now no duelist dares attack any face-down monsters he might possess, for fear of an automatic loss by the devastating effects of these two overwhelming monster cards.

Let's recap the score. On the right, we have monsters whose basic attack powers are nearly unmatched in the realm of Duel Monsters. On the left, we have monsters whose basic power would be enough in itself, but paired with effects that obliterate anyone foolish enough to attack them, they are made almost invincible.

Together, these two duelists are practically unbeatable.

Duelists everywhere should certainly hope they don't realize that.

But according to what we've seen... they already do.

Kyle glared at the article. "Well, don't ask us or anything," he grumbled. Nevertheless, he wordlessly bought the tabloid – an action that got a raised eyebrow from the cashier, who immediately recognized him as the guy on the cover – and then left the store as quickly as possible.

_So. They think we're teaming up in order to sweep tournaments. We're not... but so what if we did? What does it matter to them who the winnings go to? They're tournaments. They're meant for us to prove our skills in the game. What about that two-man team over at Duelist Kingdom? Yugi Moto and Joseph Wheeler, right? They bagged that tournament and they're the best of friends._

**Kyle, would you be so kind as to explain why "tabloids" exist? Surely such creations cannot long feed on lies and deception...**

You'd be surprised. Tabloids exist because it's entertainment. It doesn't matter to the editors whether it's the truth, just as long as they have something entertaining to put in their pages.

**Such treacherous behavior would have caused men to be deprived of their heads in ages past.**

Kyle sighed as he pulled his motorcycle into the parking lot of his apartment complex. _I know, but–_

Abruptly, he felt Theoris bristling. He frowned. _What's wrong?_

**Magic... and darkness... something vile is near.**

Kyle's frown deepened and he slowly dismounted his motorcycle, making himself aware of every noise he could hear and every sight he could see. _Which direction?_

**I know not, but it is very near.**

Kyle slowly stepped closer to the complex and onto the sidewalk. He moved around towards the front of the building.

But just as he was about to get past the corner where the front and right side of the building connected, someone stepped directly in front of him.

That someone was dressed in a midnight-blue robe, completely with a hood that entirely shrouded their facial features.

Theoris let out a mental snarl. **_That is a magician!_**

Kyle's eyes widened, and he took a step backward. Almost instinctively, the Millennium Shield glowed and turned from a pendant to a full shield mounted on his right arm. He could barely feel it, but as soon as he realized that the shield had relocated, he brought it up as if to ward off the person standing in front of him.

His reward was a laugh – a man's voice came out from under the hood. His words were accented. "If you believe I am here to attack you, you need not fear such. I have no intention to harm you."

"Yeah, well, from what I've been told, that's a little hard to believe," Kyle responded. "What do you want from me?"

"Come now," the man snorted. "If you have truly been told of me and who I represent, you would not even need to ask that question."

"Humor me."

"Very well. I represent a... group... that wishes to acquire that shield you now use to guard yourself. We are willing to negotiate for it – any terms you wish, we are more than happy to live up to."

Kyle's brow furrowed. "You can't be serious. Your people were willing to kill for this thing."

"That was a long time ago. Things have progressed beyond such barbarism, or so society at large would have this world believe." The man crossed his arms. "What say you to such an offer? You can have practically anything and everything you have ever wanted. We have the power to give that to you. And all we ask in exchange is the Millennium item you carry."

Kyle shook his head. "No. Not interested. I know exactly what you want this thing for."

"Oh?" The robed man sounded amused.

"You know it has power. You just saw a very small demonstration of it. Your people want it for themselves. They think they have primary rights to those powers. You know how many people they killed in trying to get it?"

"I tell you once more that this was long ago. Many generations have passed since that time. Barter is our preferred method of transaction."

"I don't want any part of it."

The man sighed and uncrossed his arms. "You are an intriguing person, Kyle McCraine. There are very few whom my order has come in contact with that would not at least give serious consideration to such an offer. I know of your power, but do you know of ours? I do not boast idly... we truly have significant power and influence, even in the modern world. Enough that you would never have to worry about security, in any sense, ever again. Financial, personal... emotional..." Kyle could hear the smirk in the man's voice. "And in return, we ask for nothing more than a single item from you."

"You ask for nothing less than the Millennium Shield," Kyle corrected him. "And it's not for sale."

"You may not receive this offer from us again," the man said. "And I rather doubt you will receive it from anyone else, either."

"The problem is that you think I don't have everything I want. You're mistaken." Kyle eased his stance slightly. "I have everything I need, and more than I could have hoped for. What I want is no more than I've already got. And there's nothing you can do to change that."

There was silence between them for several long moments. Then the man half-turned and afforded Kyle a last glance. "Well... I do suppose this concludes our business today."

With that, he rounded the corner. Kyle could hear his footsteps on the sidewalk–

At least, he thought he could. But then the steps stopped. He frowned and kept the shield up as he carefully turned around the corner.

The man had vanished.

Kyle groaned. _Why me? Why do people always have to do the freaky vanishing thing after associating with me?_

**Kyle, this is not the end of the magicians. I assure you they shall return. And they shall do so in greater numbers. You must be more careful than ever, now.**

Well, hey, with someone as optimistic as you by my side, how could they possibly step up to the challenge of taking me on?

**This is a serious matter, Kyle. You must take it seriously, or it will spell your certain doom. You know what I saw just as well as I. We both know what happened to my comrades because of one magician. You know what happened to Khensthoth. Imagine what many of them could do.**

Kyle sighed as he grabbed his mail and stepped into his apartment. _I know. And don't think I'm not worried about it. But if they're going to come after me, I'd just as soon they do it and get it overwith, instead of all this negotiation crap. I'm ready for them._

**Perhaps... but are you ready to engage in Shadow Games?**

I'd rather not do that. But a Shadow Game is the only way they can win the shield. He tossed the tabloid on the couch, then sat down next to it and ran his fingers through his hair. _There's a storm coming. Let's both hope we can ride it out._

All the tension from the last few minutes suddenly seemed to hit him, and he couldn't help but shudder several times at the implications of refusing the magicians' offer. _Theoris... what if I can't stand up to them?_ His head sank into his hands as he tried to suppress the shaking. _What if I fail?_

**You are a formidable opponent**, Theoris assured him. **_Should it come to a battle... and I have no doubt it will... I know that you will give it your all._**

_I won't have much of a choice._

**No. You will not.**

Kyle's trembling hands reached out and began picking through his letters.

One had a return address labeled Kaiba Corporation.

_But for now... let's see what else the future has in store for me._


	6. Preliminaries

_A/N: Chapter 6 is here! Expect updates to be much, much faster now, because I'm on a roll. Writer's block is gone!_

Monica: Well, I hope you slept well on that thought. Here are some more for you!

Mira: Ouch, harsh. And whether Jade's the author or part of the club or not doesn't really matter at the moment; she's got her own agenda and that's all she's worried with.

-------

Three Days Later

1:39 a.m.

--

Kyle rubbed his bloodshot eyes and looked over his deck configuration once more. _That article is right, to a certain extent_, he thought, as he scanned over the individual cards. _My deck is rather motley._

**As I recall, Kyle, there is a reason your deck is so "motley". You perceive a weakness in themes, do you not?**

A certain one, yes. There are cards that can stop and destroy monster types, not just individual monsters. I'd prefer to keep the risk to a minimum.

**Are there not cards that would narrow the scope you would be able to hold your own with?**

Fewer of those exist. My chances are better if I have a wide spread of types. Besides, I'm not using them because they're off-type from each other. I'm using them because they're good, solid defenders and attackers. He sat back on the couch. _This tournament's got me all worked up. And no word from that magician guy... I thought they might be the type to respond right away._

**As did I. This is troubling. In older times the magicians simply attacked without provocation, either with magic or daggers.**

Think they might have adapted to modern technology? Guns and such?

**This, I somehow doubt. The court of mages did not trust bow and arrow or other ranged weaponry – they considered these too unreliable. Always for them, close combat or magic.**

And you think these magicians are the same?

**Nebankh was among their ranks, as well as part of the court. I have little doubt the traditions of the magicians adapted to those of the court mages. If nothing else, then to understand their opposition, should they ever engage in battle.**

Think they did?

**Perhaps.**

Kyle sighed, then laid down across the couch. _What I need is some sleep._

**Then do so. I shall keep watch.**

But before Kyle even closed his eyes, his phone rang. He groaned, then forced himself to sit up and pick up the phone. "Hello?"

_"Did I wake you?"_ It was Monica.

"Uh. No, not really."

_"Well, sorry anyway. I can't sleep, need someone to talk to. No one else is online, either, so..."_

Kyle grinned. "Yes, go ahead, we can talk. Actually..." He looked around his apartment. "Would it be a bad time for you to come over here? Make it more personal."

_"You trying to come onto me, McCraine?"_

"Not if that's a complaint, I'm not."

Monica made an amused sound. _"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I'll be over in a few minutes."_

"Great. See you then."

--

Upon Monica's arrival, Kyle couldn't help but notice that there were large circles under her eyes. He frowned in concern as he beckoned her inside. "You look like you haven't slept since you got your invitation."

"I haven't," she admitted. "But you look about the same."

"You caught me."

She offered a wry smile, then looked to his couch. "Mm... that looks comfy right about now."

He chuckled. "You gonna make me sleep on the floor of my own home tonight, or what?"

"If you can't sleep, there's no point in trying to do it anywhere, floor or otherwise," she pointed out. Then she gestured towards it; Kyle got the hint, and they both sat down. Neither of them spoke for several moments, but instead just looked at each other for a long time.

Finally, she squirmed slightly. "I'm just a little worried, is all."

He blinked. "Worried? About the tournament?"

"Well... that, a little bit, and... other things too," she said, sounding distinctly uncomfortable.

"Other things? Like what?"

"Well, let me start with the tournament and we'll go from there." She wrung her hands. "I'm just worried that I've been invited because of that stupid article. Not because Kaiba or his associates think I have any true talent."

"From what I've seen of Kaiba, he doesn't seem to think any duelist in the world besides him has talent," Kyle noted. "Except possibly Yugi Moto. So now one mystery's been solved."

"Har har. He probably heard that I've got three of the four Blue-Eyes cards he used to have."

"So?"

"_So_ he's going to want them back. And I think he'll want them back badly, at that. Which means I'm probably going to be first on his hit list."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "And this is something to be worried about? Monica Zocallos conquers all, doesn't she?"

"Kyle, I may be good at this game, but he's top-notch. The elite of the elite. The only one anyone's ever heard of beating him is Yugi Moto, and even then, it took Exodia to do it. If he beats me, I know he'll want the Blue-Eyes cards as his prize."

"So what?" Kyle grasped Monica's hand. "Listen... if he beats you, he beats you. There's life after a loss, even one that might cost you the cards you've come to enjoy. Trust me, I know. But you can't let yourself get lost in the 'what-ifs', or you'll never do anything worth doing."

"Don't tell me I'm getting all worked up for nothing, Kyle," she said. "I want to do well in this tournament."

"And you will. I know it. With or without your Blue-Eyes cards, you'll make it through."

"You're sure?"

He smiled. "Absolutely."

She smiled back at him, then gently leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Mmm..." she sighed. "Are you running a fever?"

"No, why?"

"Because you're all warm." She leaned further into his embrace. "Not like the Kyle McCraine I know."

"Oh? And what's the Kyle McCraine you know like?"

"He's... a jerk, and... all cold and empty... and..."

Kyle smirked, then gently reached up and stroked her cheek. Her voice trailed off and she sighed. "Kyle... I'm... really confused..."

"Don't be." His fingers drifted idly across her cheek. "Just for once in your life, Monica, try not to think."

She giggled slightly. "Easier said than done."

"I know. Things will be okay. I promise."

--

The travel plans were relatively simple. Private jets all over the world were bringing duelists to Domino, Japan, much as the airliner for the Madison tournament had done. Kyle and Monica's jet arrived with seven other duelists aboard, all of them looking positively giddy about the upcoming tournament.

"They probably aren't looking forward to winning so much as to simply being there," Kyle muttered to Monica, as the plane prepped for takeoff. "They look like guppies."

"Those 'guppies' are fourth and fifth-tier duelists," she snickered. "So don't get too condescending. There's a reason they're here."

"Yeah, so people like Kaiba can take pleasure in whittling them down to nothing."

"Oh, now, don't _you_ get started."

Chubs was also aboard the plane, in one of the front seats and he made sure to greet Kyle and Monica – who had boarded and were seated in the rear – after the plane had taken off. "Hey, there."

Kyle blinked at Chubs. "Man, you lost some serious weight, didn't you?" And it was true – Chubs' once-noticeable gut, able to exceed most belts, had now receded to just slightly beyond his belt line. His arms and legs showed signs of muscle buildup. Even his face had changed, to a more ovular definition.

"I've been exercising like crazy," Chubs grinned. "Just about any regimen I can pull off while at home, I've been doing. Push-ups, crunches, stretching exercises..."

"How often?" Monica inquired.

"I started it at half an hour every day. I've gotten up to an hour and a half now. I think I've sweated a lot of it off." Chubs scoffed, an amused sound. "But don't worry, I still pig out pretty much every chance I get. My metabolism can get to be pretty high if I'd just get off my butt every once in a while."

**_That is a novel concept._** Kyle suppressed a snicker at the comment.

The trip to Japan took most of the night. Kyle found himself unable to sleep, between worrying about the tournament and when the magicians might show up next. On the other hand, Chubs was sawing logs with his snores, and Monica found a convenient pillow on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle couldn't help but roll his eyes. _She gets comfort, I get the shaft._

**Shaft of what?**

Kyle shuddered. _Let's not discuss that._

A goodly portion of the morning was spent on getting through customs and money exchange. Kyle, Chubs, and Monica weren't sure at first that they even wanted to leave the airport – there was enough here to keep them entertained for a good long while, and the tournament wouldn't be until the following week.

However, they did eventually leave the expansive port. If nothing else, Chubs noted, their hotel rooms were waiting for them. Kyle remained wary as they went about the huge city – it was nearly the size of Indianapolis – but nevertheless he had to stare at the huge buildings. Indiana and Oregon were not privy to many cities of this size, and the only other "big city" he'd been to was L.A., for the Madison tourney.

The first order of business on their agenda was to head to the hotels where they'd been given accommodations. Kyle and Monica had been placed in one hotel, but Chubs was in a different one – perhaps Kaiba wanted to make sure that nothing happened to all the duelists in one hotel, should some catastrophic occurrence take place – so they accompanied each other to the two locations, which were relatively near each other. Of course, Kyle and Monica had been placed on different floors and opposite sides of the building, so there was quite an amount of walking to be done just in the first hotel. Nevertheless, the accommodations were quite acceptable for all three of them.

The letters they'd received said there would be a gathering of the various duelists that evening for a preliminary message from Kaiba himself. In the meantime, they'd been instructed to pick up the latest technology for exclusive Duel Monsters use at any local shop, provided they bring their invitations along with them – on the bottom of the invitation was a barcode that allegedly could be scanned to verify their identities and rank on the duelist ladder.

Monica and Chubs were rather enthusiastic about the entire thing, which Kyle found amusing – and indeed, he was also eager to get the show on the road. He tried to suppress his worries and simply enjoy himself alongside his friends.

Whether by accident or design, the man behind the cash register at the store they ended up entering was fluent in English. He smiled politely and bowed to them, a gesture of respect. They did the same, though it was rather awkward for them.

"May I help you today?" the cashier asked.

Monica held out her invitation first. "We're here to get the Duel Monsters devices," she explained.

"Ah, yes. All three of you, you are all duelists?"

The three nodded collectively. The cashier's smile widened and he beckoned them toward the counter. "Come, come. May I have your letters?"

Chubs and Kyle already had theirs out, having taken their cue from Monica. They handed the sheets to the cashier, who then pulled out a scanner gun and processed each in turn. He inspected the displays he got on his computer, then glanced at each duelist and nodded in satisfaction. "Very good." He knelt down behind his counter, then pulled out three long boxes and placed them on the counter. Each one was decorated with a picture of the device inside.

Chubs blinked at the boxes, and half a smile lit his features. "This is called a 'duel disk'? The only disk-like part of it is that segment in the middle."

"That segment is important for the operation of the duel disk," said the cashier. "I also have instruction manuals in English." He distributed manuals to the three. "Since these duel disks are meant specifically for the Battle City tournament, they are free. But you may only acquire one for free. If you lose it, you must pay for another, and it is a high price."

"Don't worry," Monica responded. "Even if we do lose them, we've got the money for others."

"Speak for yourself," Chubs muttered.

"Man, you know I'd cover you," Kyle replied. He picked up one of the manuals and began to thumb through it. "Ah, here we go. Kaiba's original design for the duel disk was disk-shaped, but he's since adjusted it because its original design wasn't quite adapted to conventional play."

"Well, I'm not going to carry all three," Monica huffed, "so pick yours up already." The cashier offered three large bags in which they could put their boxes, which they gladly accepted.

"So now where to?" Chubs inquired.

"Back to our hotel," said Kyle. "My room's closer. We can check out the disks there."

Fifteen minutes later, Kyle and Monica were sitting on Kyle's bed while Chubs was stretched out on the couch. Each of them was opening the box that contained their respective duel disks; upon removing his, Kyle whistled. "When they say cutting edge, they're not kidding. Look at all the sharp edges on this thing... Ralph Nader would be horrified."

The central portion of the device was indeed disk-shaped, bearing a white deck slot on one side and a red graveyard slot positioned at a 90 degree angle from the deck. Atop the disk was a digital calculator, apparently the Life Point counter. Extending out from the graveyard side of the disk was the fun part, however; there were two wide trapezoidal plates attached to small servo arms on the underside of the disk. The longer one on the left bore three large blue-and-red indentations, while the shorter one on the right bore two.

"Must be where the field is," Kyle remarked. "How do you mount this thing, anyway?"

"There should be straps on the underside of the disk," Chubs answered, consulting the manual. "Put it on your left arm, and make sure to position it so the field plates are on the outside of your forearm. There's a button down there, it should activate the straps and automatically adjust them to fit you."

When Kyle turned the disk over, he noted that there was also a small handgrip with a red thumb stud. "It's a duel disk and a windshield wiper," he commented.

Chubs chuckled. "That button activates it. You just point the disk at your opponent and hit the button. The disk will eject a pair of hologram projectors and they'll land maybe three meters away from you on each side. Just don't launch them inside."

"Mm. And I assume the card readers work the same way as on dueling pedestals?"

"Yeah. Bar codes in invisible ink on each side of the card are read by specialized scanners in each slot. Each monster slot needs two scanners, one for attack mode and one for defense. Convenient for players with cards in different languages." Chubs continued to peruse the manual. "Magic and trap slots are along the inner edge of the field plates, you just insert them to place them on the field and then hit the corresponding button on the inside of your duel disk to activate them."

"Where do you put field cards?" Monica wondered, inspecting her own device.

"That's on the outer edge of the field plate on the right. You can just pull it open like a cabinet door and stick field cards inside. There's a button for that on the disk, too."

Kyle frowned at the field plates on his disk, which were swiveling slightly. "Mine don't seem to be locked in."

"That's because your disk isn't active yet. Pull the long field plate all the way around to the left, and the short one around to the right. They should lock into idle mode. Only activate it when you're planning to duel someone. Then they'll both swing around to the middle to lock into each other, and then over to the left side to lock the servo arms into place."

Kyle did as he was told; sure enough, he felt them click into place on opposite sides of the disk. "This thing's pretty complex."

"We'll get the hang of it," said Monica.

They spent the rest of the evening hanging around the immediate area. At one point, Kaiba addressed the duelists over the P.A. system – none of the three duelists was exactly fluent in Japanese, but Monica knew a few words. Enough to know that the man was entirely sure he was going to go all the way to the top.

The next week was spent pretty much on the town, seeing the sights and exploring mega-stores, as per Monica's prerogative. Chubs was more economic with his money than Kyle or Monica, although both of them offered to pay for something he'd like to get. He picked out a few simple souvenirs, whereas Kyle and Monica decided to be a bit more extravagant with their spending.

An Egyptian exhibit was on display in town, as it so happened. Theoris was rather insistent about seeing this, and Kyle felt he was in no position to argue, although he did ask Chubs and Monica to come along – which they were happy to do.

Kyle tried to sympathize with Theoris as much as possible while at the exhibit, but he couldn't help but feel Theoris' emotions almost as strongly as the soldier himself did. They'd both experienced his singularly unique memories... they knew all of these things here now. Kyle could have closed his eyes, traced his fingers over any one of these jars, and known exactly what it was for.

**_Look at this, Kyle... ours was once the mightiest empire this world has ever known, and now we are reduced to an extinct people with a intriguing past. They put our pottery on display as if they were ancient totems when they bear no value. They constantly attempt to discover the great mysteries of the Egyptian people when things were not nearly so mystical as they might believe._**

I don't know about that, Theoris. Look at the Shadow Games.

**The Shadow Games held no place in the life of a soldier, a farmer, an architect. Ours were relatively simple lives. It is in the royal blood that the mysteries are kept. And that blood has long turned to dust. As has the blood of the soldiers, the farmers, and the architects.**

Kyle sighed. Nostalgia, anger, and sadness were all very strong with Theoris in this place.

Monica noted Kyle's look and sidled up to him. "What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh. Nothing," he responded. "Just thinking."

"What about?"

"Well..." He gestured at the exhibit. "Just wondering if it's right to put a people and their household items on display, like there's some huge mystery behind their existence. I'm leaning heavily towards 'no'."

"Apparently that woman thinks differently." Monica nodded toward an Egyptian woman dressed in a simple white robe, smiling pleasantly at those who passed by. "She's a leading Egyptologist."

Kyle glanced at the woman Monica had indicated – and his brow was split by a sudden frown as he noticed the necklace she was wearing. _That... that can't possibly be..._

**It is, Kyle... the Millennium Tauk.**

How did she get her hands on it? I thought the Millennium items were under protection!

**They were under mystical protection, Kyle. Whether they were under physical protection, I cannot say. Perhaps she is one of the guardians, as was Shadi.**

You didn't tell me a Millennium item was nearby.

**I was caught up in nostalgia. And its bearer has no hostile intentions.**

At that moment, the woman glanced toward Kyle... and her expression changed. Kyle abruptly realized she'd spotted his pendant.

_Let's not get into this now..._ Kyle reached out and took Monica's hand. "I don't know about you, but I think I've seen everything I want to, for now."

She shrugged. "Okay. Museum's gonna close soon anyway. Want to get something to eat?"

"Yeah, yeah, sounds good." Kyle looked over to Chubs, who was still ogling a stone tablet covered in figures. "Hey, Chubs, Monica and I are going to grab a bite. Want to stay here or come along?"

"Oh, I'll stick around here," he said. "This stuff's pretty cool. But don't worry, I'm not going back to my hotel on an empty stomach." He grinned. "Not possible with me."

Kyle and Monica snickered. "True enough," said Monica. "Well, then, I guess we'll see you tomorrow, in the tournament."

"Count on it."

--

Kyle and Monica spent their dinnertime at a fast food restaurant, rather than an Oriental-style one. They'd spent the last several days sampling Japanese cuisine and weren't entirely sure they found everything to their liking. Rice was good, Kyle conceded, but it was starting to give him a headache. Monica agreed.

"So. You're sure I'm going to do okay in this tournament?" Monica asked.

"Of course I'm sure. If you weren't capable of doing well, I don't think you'd be here, no matter if you had Blue-Eyes or not," Kyle answered. "You got your deck set up for it?"

"Yeah, I can even pull Ultimate out if I need to. I've got a substitute fusion material monster that can act as the third Blue-Eyes."

"That should make opponents think twice. That is, if they even have the chance to think once."

Monica grinned. "You know... I think you're going to do pretty well, yourself."

He shrugged. "Oh, I doubt I'll make it all the way. But I'd like to go pretty far, if I can."

"Never doubt yourself, Kyle. Always be confident in what you can do." Her smile widened. "Remember when you were facing Madison? You knew exactly what you were doing when you challenged her to put Suijin up for grabs. I could see it, the way you were looking at her and your cards. You were totally sure of yourself. Now the only trick is to make sure you stay that way, for all of your duels."

Well..." Kyle raised his cup of soda. "Here's to confidence."

"Indeed." She raised her own. They both chuckled at the toast.

--

The walk back to the hotel was thankfully uneventful... at least, from the perspectives of duelists about to engage in the biggest tournament of their careers. Of course, there were plenty of people bustling about the hotel, from other duelists to bellhops to room service... but considering how stuffed they were feeling from all the food, they weren't inclined to consult the hotel menu.

They smiled at each other as they approached the door to Monica's room. "Wish I could invite you in," she confessed, "but we both need to get ready for the tournament... get a good night's sleep..."

He nodded in complete agreement. "Yeah, we should." He scratched the back of his neck. "I had a good time tonight."

"So did I." She slowly reached up and looped her arms about his neck, staring up into his eyes. "So did I."

In response to her touch, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her loosely. She returned the gesture and placed her head against his chest for a moment. He reached up with one hand and stroked her cheek, even trailing his thumb into her hair for a certain length.

_Look at the two of us_, she thought, amused. _Completely comfortable... yet completely awkward..._

"Monica..."

She raised her head and looked up at him... and she could tell just by the look in his eyes what he was going to do next. His head was leaning down toward hers, very slowly – saying without saying that she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to.

But she did want to.

His lips touched hers. Simply touched. A request, perhaps... asking her if she wanted this.

And she answered with a yes.

They abruptly pulled closer to each other, and the touching of their lips became a true kiss.

It wasn't the first one either of them had had...

But it was the first one either of them truly wanted.


	7. Dead Heat

_A/N: Chapter 7. Yep, I'm posting them very quickly. I have a deadline I'd like to meet, and I'm not likely to meet it, but one can dream, can't he? Anyway, in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the increased speed with which I post, as well as the chapters to follow. Seeya!_

Wolf: Easy on that wooden table, it's an original. And you just might get your wish on seeing more cameos.

Lumen: Just waiting for the other shoe to drop, aren't you? Well, take a look, then tell me what you think.

Mira: Would you believe the brush wasn't planned? The entire trip to the exhibit was out of the blue, after I remembered seeing it on the show. Glad you liked it.

Skraku: Looks like everyone liked the fluff. Here's your update!

-------

1:45 a.m.  
BCT -7 hours 15 minutes  
--

Monica felt quite comfortable between the sheets of her hotel room's bed, but she couldn't get to sleep. She felt far too giddy.

_Everything is finally starting to work out for me! _she thought. _I finally have someone in my life who I truly care about, I'm in one of the biggest Duel Monsters tournaments in the world and I've got exactly what I need to win it..._

A small smirk passed over her face. _Watch out, Seto Kaiba. You want the Blue-Eyes cards back, you're in for a rough ride, even with those sacrifice rules. There are other ways to bring out a Blue-Eyes._

She snuggled into the blankets. _Sheesh, but I wish I could sleep! I'm going to need it! I can't go out there all tired. Sleep, Monica, just sleep..._

Her eyes drifted shut, and her thoughts became slower. Her imagination became lax, her breathing regulated.

And then she felt it.

There was someone in the room with her.

More than one person.

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up to full attention. The blankets flared around her in her wake as her head cranked around, looking for the intruders.

There were four of them. All were dressed in long, dark robes, making their outlines effectively impossible to determine from a distance. They all wore hoods which masked their facial features, save that they all sported ragged white beards. They all stood at the foot of her bed, but as soon as she sat up, they moved in pairs to each side of the bed.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice low and fierce, masking her fear.

"We are your captors," one responded. "And so shall we remain until we receive what we have desired for so long."

She stopped hearing at the word "captors". She drew in a sharp breath and opened her mouth to scream–

The man closest to her on the left was lightning-quick; he leaned down, reached out with both hands, grasped the back of her head with one, and clamped a cloth over her nose and mouth with the other.

Her hands shot up to his wrist, looking to pry it away from her face, but one kinsman on each side of her bed reached out with two hands to grab hold of each of hers and pull them away. The remaining robed man pinned her ankles to the bed.

The cloth didn't stop her from emitting desperate cries, but she could tell very quickly that that wasn't the intent, anyway; she could smell a foul, sharp odor in the cloth, and with burning clarity, she knew that there was some sort of drug in it. _Ether, maybe... or something similar... it doesn't matter what it is, I know what it's for, they're trying to knock me out... somebody help!_

But her cries did not extend even as far as the door, much less past it, and there was nothing she could do but squirm uselessly as the effects of the drug began to take their toll. There was no other way for her to breathe; she had to do it through the cloth.

_What... what do they... want... with... me...?_

Her struggling slowed, and then she became still as she fell into the blackness of oblivion. Her eyes rolled back, and her mind made one last, desperate plea.

_Kyle... help... me..._  
--

2:00 a.m.  
BCT -7 hours  
--

Kyle shifted around in his sleep. He was exhausted, between the plane ride to Japan and the company he'd kept. Theoris, having already slept for thousands of years, felt no need to rest, and so he watched Kyle dream.

**_Until Kyle became friends with Monica, I never was sure what the phrase "shop 'til you drop" meant. After today, however... _**Theoris found himself slightly amused. He felt for Kyle, of course, but he also felt gratified at being able to figure out another facet of what Kyle called "pop culture".

He felt something.

**_Dark magic... dark magic approaches here..._**

He felt a spike, a surge of some sort. He couldn't identify it, nor could he explain it... but he knew that this place was no longer safe.

**_Kyle, wake up._**

"It is too late, Theoris."

Theoris would have snapped to attention if he still had a body. As it was, the voice and the words both pierced him with a sense of dread.

"You are too late now. You cannot stop us. Now we will take what has been denied us for thousands of years."

He could sense them. There were four of them, surrounding Kyle's bed, one at each corner.

A bolt of panic went through him; there were no options left.

**_The Millennium Shield must be protected... even at the cost of my existence._**

The Eye of Horus glowed on Kyle's forehead.

The pendant vanished, transformed into pure energy, and reappeared mounted on its owner's right arm.

Kyle's eyes opened. The pupils glowed gold.

The four magicians moved as one; their arms rose, and auras of different colors – red, blue, green, and purple – surrounded them.

Theoris bolted to Kyle's feet on the bed and thrust his foot into the pit of Red's stomach. Red crumpled around the foot, but Theoris didn't take any further action; instead, he whipped his leg around and struck Green in the face.

Kyle's body flashed with blue energy, and Theoris flew back into the closet door. The flimsy wood splintered and cracked.

Theoris felt his concentration slipping. **_I cannot maintain control for long..._**

He tackled Blue before he had a chance to execute another attack. His finishing blow was a quick strike across Blue's face with the edge of the shield.

**_KYLE, WAKE UP!_** Theoris got to Kyle's feet as quickly as he could, but it wasn't fast enough for his body to avoid the flash of energy, this time from Purple. He crashed into the radiator; the edge of the shield banged against the window.

A red streak of energy flew over Kyle's head, and Theoris ducked, desperately trying to maintain control long enough for Kyle to wake up. He could feel the teen's mind starting to register things, but not nearly at the speed he needed.

"You cannot stop us, Theoris! Your power – your spirit weakens even now!"

**_KYLE!_**

The red streak struck the curtain, which was instantly set ablaze.

_Theoris...?_

**Kyle, get up! The magicians have found us! They are trying to take the shield!**

What?!

Theoris felt the surge of Kyle's mind as he got back to his keeper's feet. In a split instant, he showed Kyle everything he needed to know.

The Eye of Horus shattered.

Kyle's pupils darkened.

He charged forward and threw a merciless punch at Purple, not worried about grace or speed. His knuckles made brisk contact with Purple's nose. A sharp crack resounded throughout the room. The magician cried out and fell back. Kyle also grunted; the hit had done his knuckles no good. He resolved to make his blows open-handed.

He glanced down at his right arm. _Or... with this..._

Red had gotten back to his feet by this time and was throwing more energy around. A burst headed for Kyle's face; he barely had time to bring the shield up to block. The burst splashed against the shield and bounded onto the bed. Like the curtains, the bed was also set to fire.  
Kyle spun around and slammed the shield into the magician with the force of a roundhouse punch. The magician crashed into the closet door in much the same manner that Theoris had just moments before.

The entire bed was in flames now, as were both of the curtains. The overhead sprinklers could barely contain the blaze. Kyle couldn't feel the fire or the water; his focus was entirely on the four intruders.

Upon the downpour and the shrieking of the fire siren, the magicians all turned their heads up to face the winking alarm. They hissed angrily.

And then, as if they were nothing more than a massive mirage, their forms warped and faded from view.

With a simple thought, Kyle returned the shield to its place on his necklace; then he grabbed his suitcase and moved as quickly as he could to get out of the room. _Thank the powers that be that I had the foresight to leave all my possessions in my suitcase!_

And with that thought in mind, he raced into the hall and down the emergency stairwell.

What had happened here tonight certainly warranted its use.

--

As it turned out, taking his luggage with him hadn't exactly been the smartest thing he'd ever done. It didn't take the authorities long to figure out it had been his room, and when he'd been questioned about it, he simply said that he'd come back to his room to find it in flames. He was subsequently berated – quite seriously, at that – for being foolish enough to go back inside and grab his luggage when he should simply have run to safety.

Nevertheless, he stuck with that story – to tell them the truth would probably only get him locked up in a psych ward. _Can't have that._ The police were suspicious, as they had a right to be, but since Kyle had apparently done nothing wrong, they didn't really have a reason to incarcerate him.

The fire was contained eventually, but in the meantime, the hotel's residents were all lined up on the sidewalk outside, most of them wearing pajamas or blankets around their shoulders. They were all muttering to each other about the possibility of some duelist going nuts and wanting to off the competition.

Kyle couldn't help but wonder at that thought. _Is there really so much fear in the dueling community that duelists would go to the lengths of killing someone in order to keep them from competing?_

**From what I have seen, Kyle, your world is quite full of people who would do just exactly that.**

Mm. How're you doing in there? Must not have been easy to control my body for that long.

**I am much stronger now that I was when we first met. It shall not take me long to recover. I worry more about you.**

Ehh, I'll be fine. Kyle flexed his fist, which was swelling slightly from where he'd punched the magician in the nose. _Though I wonder if somehow we had that coming. We were warned things would get a whole lot more dangerous really soon._

**Perhaps, in a way, such an event was bound to happen, yes. However, this contest is apparently featuring a multitude of people, both duelists and observers... and in a city of this magnitude, among people more numerous than the buildings here, it would likely be that much more difficult for them to find us. Therefore the competition can be conducted without their interference.**

Let's hope so. But somehow, I'm doubting it.

--

7:54 a.m.

BCT -1 hour 6 minutes

--

Chubs yawned and looked at the clock.

"Cripes," he muttered, and he rolled lazily out of bed. He had about an hour before the tournament began, and he hadn't even had breakfast yet. _At least Kaiba had the foresight to bring all the duelists to Japan a week ahead of time to get past the jet lag... I can't imagine even attempting to compete when I'm jet-jagged..._

Chubs actually had never been out of the U.S. before, but for this, he'd been perfectly willing to make an exception. _Besides which, Monica and Kyle are going to be there, too. And the company on the way out of Indiana wasn't so bad, either._ He just hoped he wouldn't have to run into that company in the competition this morning.

He turned on the TV as he picked through the drawers – in which he'd put all of his clothing, since it seemed a shame to not use them when he was going to be here a week – but frowned as he heard the CNN report in English relating to the hotel Kyle and Monica had been staying in. Something about a fire in one of the duelists' rooms, the room a complete loss, the duelist himself unhurt – as were all the others.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief as he donned a looser T-shirt and his favorite cargo pants. _Good to know. I wonder what caused it, though._

"In related news, the Battle City Duel Monsters tournament being held in Domino and sponsored by Kaiba Corporation is slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. sharp, local time. Many duelists are already prowling the streets in search of their first competition. While some are simply looking to do well in a high-profile tournament, most are seeking the title of 'King of Games' – a title taken by Yugi Moto, a local resident and a virtual unknown in the dueling community until defeating such top duelists as Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus himself."

Chubs whistled. "Better steer clear of him, then." He pulled his deck case out of his suitcase and looked over his configuration several times, scrutinizing it more each time. _Is there anything I'd possibly want to take out or swap?_

He finally shook his head. _Nah. Some of it might be repetitive, but it's good. There'll be plenty of Fire attribute monsters coming along eventually._

He picked up his duel disk box and pulled the device out. He'd toyed with it over the past week, it was true, but there was so much to learn about it that he couldn't help but be fascinated. _If nothing else, this thing will most definitely mark me as a duelist._

And hopefully, a worthy opponent.

He slipped his left forearm under the binders, and then pressed the button to lock it tightly in place. It _click_ed and held to his arm quite comfortably. He put his deck in his pocket; for the moment, he had no need to insert it in the disk, unless he wanted all of his cards to fall out.

_And I'd really prefer to keep all my cards, thank you._

He left his room and headed downstairs.

_First order of business: find something to eat._

Second order of business: duel my heart out.

--

10:12 a.m.

BCT: In Progress

--

Zack sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he continued to stroll up the sidewalk. Several kids gawked at him – or, more specifically, at the duel disk on his arm and _then_ at him – but he paid them no mind. He had three locator cards now, but there was no one to celebrate this particular victory with. He'd heard the fire had been in Kyle's room, but he'd also heard that no one was hurt, and for that, he was thankful. _I hope Kyle still has some clothes to change with, though, or else he's not going to be exactly a rose on the plane home..._

He moved across the street, lost in his own thoughts... but when he looked up, his thoughts became deadly focused.

_Oh, crap._

She was standing there, her expression one of a predator waiting to pounce.

"So," she said, deceivingly innocent and cheerful, "How are you liking Japan so far, Zack?"

"It's a refreshing change of pace from the shop," he answered in an attempt to sound nonchalant, his expression wary. "Though I'm feeling a little homesick."

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much. You're going to be heading back home very, very soon."

He rolled his eyes. "Let me guess... you're just the person to send me there. Too bad for you I'm fresh out of Labyrinth Brothers these days."

"Why does everyone assume I've only got eyes for the Brothers and Guardian? Or have you forgotten my deck's theme? You've got a number of cards that interest me, and so long as you're here, you're fair game." Jade smirked.

Zack raised an eyebrow. "I figured all your attention would be focused on finding Kyle and dueling him. He's here, you know."

"Of course I know. Zack, I can tell you what seat of what airline he had on the way over. Don't insult me."

He crossed his arms. "Then why stand here shooting the breeze with me? The longer you delay a duel with him, the more likely it is he'll have even better cards."

Jade elected not to respond in words, but instead raised her left arm and activated her duel disk. From each side, two small holoprojector pods ejected, gliding to a stop and lighting up.

Zack didn't flinch, but instead sighed. "Someday your stubbornness is going to end up being your downfall. But if you're so intent on dueling me, I guess I'll have to show you what I'm worth."

He took a few paces away from her, then fired the launchers on his own duel disk. The field plates snapped together and locked into place. "And I'm worth quite a bit. Let's duel."


	8. Dedicated Light, Determined Darkness

_A/N: Happy holidays to the States. Three-day weekends are awesome, though that means many are traveling, which in turn means not as many are R/R'ing this story. Oh, well, I'll post more to it anyway. So here's Chapter 8 – and along with it, a Duel Monsters match Zack had been hoping to avoid. But since it can't be escaped, he'll either have to plow through or knuckle under. Which do you think will happen?_

Mira: Kyle was more concerned with making sure no one found out the truth; probably the last thing he wanted was Monica demanding to know what happened. Nevertheless, you have a valid point. As for Jade... you never know.

-------

Jade's LP - 4000

Zack's LP - 4000

--

Jade smiled coldly. "My turn first." She drew six cards, paused, and then slipped one into a back slot of her disk. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity." Pulling an additional three cards from the top of her deck, Jade made no hesitation in her next move. "I'll discard White Magical Hat and Dark Elf, and then I'll play two cards face-down and summon Skilled Dark Magician (1900/1700) in attack mode."

He raised an eyebrow at the opposing monster, a black-robed spellcaster bearing a long wand. "All right. Anything else?"

"No. End of my turn."

He drew his sixth card, then chose four of the six. "I place three magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster in defense mode." The cards appeared as holograms about ten times larger than life at his feet – three in vertical position in the back, one positioned horizontally in front. "And that finishes my turn."

Jade drew, then pointed to the face-down in front of Zack. "Skilled Dark Magician, attack his monster."

The pulse of dark energy that emitted from her monster's wand snaked across the field – and was halted in its tracks as Zack's monster was revealed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but my Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) is stronger than she looks," Zack responded.

Her Life Points scrolled to 3900. "Only for the moment," Jade countered. "I activate my Solemn Wishes trap card, and set a second monster, this one face-down. That ends my turn."

"Fair enough." He drew. "Now I play Shining Angel (1400/800) in attack mode." His monster manifested itself next to Spirit, a winged being wrapped in a white toga. "He may look unassuming at first, but he's about to get a bit tougher. I play Mage Power, and equip it to Shining Angel; since it powers up by 500 for every magic and trap card on my field, including itself, it increases his attack and defense by 2000."

Jade's eyes were following the movement of the Mage Power card eagerly. The other face-down cards on Zack's field moved in order to make room for Mage Power, which manifested directly behind Shining Angel. The card then emitted three energy beams, one toward each magic/trap card on Zack's field, and seemed to draw strength from them. An even stronger beam of light was cast upon Shining Angel, whose bright aura became exponentially brighter.

"Shining Angel, attack Skilled Dark Magician."

An orb of light manifested in front of Skilled Dark Magician – a spell counter, Jade realized belatedly – just before Shining Angel's attack, a streak of light from the sky, blew the dark spellcaster away.

"My turn's done," Zack announced.

Jade observed her Life Point display, now down to 1400. "Very well, I draw, and gain 500 LP from Solemn Wishes. Next, I'll play one card face-down, and summon my Gemini Elves (1900/900) in attack mode. End of my turn."

As he drew, Zack raised an eyebrow at the monster(s) that she'd just brought out. "Fine. I place another magic/trap card face-down."

Another energy beam streamed from Mage Power and connected with the face-down. Shining Angel's aura brightened even more... it was almost blinding now. "That brings Shining Angel's attack power up to 3900, which should be enough to take out your Elves and LP in one attack. Shining Angel, do the honors."

"Not quite!" Jade announced. "Activate Mirror Wall."

Her trap card caused a thick wall of mirrored material to appear between the two monsters involved in battle. Shining Angel struck his own reflection, and then broke through and struck her monsters.

"That takes Shining Angel's attack power to 1950," Zack noted. "But it's still enough to make the cut."

Jade conceded wordlessly by removing the Elves from the field. Her Life Points dropped to 1850.

"Your turn."

"I'm allowing Mirror Wall to expire," she said, slipping the card into the graveyard slot of her disk. "And I'll play one monster face-down. End turn."

He drew his next card, noting the modest LP gain she'd received from Solemn Wishes. "If that's all you've got to keep your Life Points above zero, it's a wonder I didn't want to duel you before."

Jade's already cold smile turned icy. "Having regrets, Zack?"

"I suppose," he admitted. "I wish I hadn't brought Kyle into it. But it's a bit late for that now."

"Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you'd gotten so scared out of your wits..." she trailed off.

"So scared out of my wits," he supplemented, "that I handed it over to a duelist who's better than either of us."

"That," she said loftily, "has yet to be proven."

"No, it hasn't. It was proven once, for each of us. And if need be, I'm sure he'll do it again." He selected his next card. "But for now, let's see just how well I can do without a Labyrinth Brother. I summon Thunder Nyan-Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode."

"Activate Trap Hole." The feline-woman rose up only to disappear into a black hole just as quickly.

He narrowed his eyes at the play, but then turned to his other monsters. "Shining Angel, attack the monster she just played."

"My Apprentice Magician (400/800) is destroyed." The petite, staff-wielding sorcerer disappeared. "Are you aware of her effect?"

"It's my business to know Duel Monsters," he remarked. "Since she was destroyed in battle, you get to special summon another spellcaster face-down, provided it's level 2 or lower."

"Just making sure. You wouldn't believe the number of duelists I've seen studying their effect cards like they're never seen them before," Jade mumbled, searching through her deck. After a moment, she placed a monster face-down, causing the corresponding hologram to appear.

His face contorted into an expression of disgust. "If they don't know their own cards, why do they even play?"

"Why else? All the material reasons, money, fame, the like."

"None of which they'll acquire if they can't figure out how their own cards work." He smirked. "It's not our talent that gets us to the top of the totem pole. It's the lack of talent in most others. For the moment, my turn's finished."

Jade drew. "That's good. I think you'll like this one. I flip The Stern Mystic (1500/1200) face up, letting me get a good look at all the hidden goodies on the field."

The cards on Zack's field flipped up obediently, revealing two Numinous Healer traps, a Magic Cylinder trap, an Enchanted Javelin trap, and his defensive Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1400/1000).

"Hm. Taking a few pages out of my book, are you?" Jade asked, even as her own face-down Old Vindictive Magician (450/600) was revealed.

Zack noted the reference to the traps meant for Life Point gain. "Is that a complaint?"

"An amused observation. I flip my Old Vindictive Magician face-up, and use its effect to destroy your Shining Angel."

A spear of black energy launched from her minuscule magician and caught Shining Angel in the pit of his stomach. He groaned and then shattered – along with him, the Mage Power equipment card.

"I'll play one card face-down, and then I sacrifice Stern Mystic and Vindictive Magician for Kazejin (2400/2200) in attack mode!"

Zack kept his lips pursed as he watched the Labyrinth Brother take form on Jade's field. Like Sanga, Kazejin had the same basic form – it appeared to be a torso equipped with arms. Unlike Sanga, this one didn't crackle with lightning around its form, but instead seemed to be distorted by the simulated winds whipping around it. Its color, a bright green, matched the color of its owner's eyes. The golden highlights glinted in the warm sunlight.

"That ends my turn," Jade declared.

Zack smirked as he drew his next card. "What, afraid of my Magic Cylinder? You shouldn't worry, its bite is only as bad as you make it."

"Your Magic Cylinder is no worse than my Kazejin. We'll see who's the one bitten soon enough."

"Then I'll go ahead and usher that future in. I'll refrain from playing anything this turn."

Jade was pressing one of her magic/trap activations even before he was finished speaking. "Doesn't matter, I can activate on your Draw Phase. Activate Solemn Wishes!"

Zack frowned as Jade's trap card flipped up and revealed an identical twin to the Solemn Wishes already on her field. "Fine. End turn."

"I draw, and gain–" The holographic women raised their hands and from them tumbled a shower of white sparkles. "–1000 Life Points," Jade said, "before playing another card face-down. You know, these holograms are quite pretty."

"And deadly," he noted, drawing as he spoke. "A distinction I'm sure has been made in reference to their owner, as well. Once again, I end my turn without playing anything."

"Now Zack," Jade smirked with false concern, "this isn't like you. Where's your usual playing confidence?" She pulled another card from her deck, and her Life Points gained another 1000 points, stopping at 4850. "I'll summon Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) in attack mode."

Zack crossed his arms. "I hope you don't mean for that monster to scare me."

"Him? Oh, no. Certainly not. Aqua Madoor, attack his face-down monster, if you would."

He shrugged as Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands was drowned under her aquatic spellcaster's tsunami attack. "Small potatoes."

Jade couldn't help but laugh. "Now that's a phrase from home. Can't see anyone from Japan saying that. End turn."

He drew his next card and also smirked. "It wouldn't be much of a distinction to say 'small rice grain'." He turned back to his hand. "All right... I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Jade drew, and the air lit up again with holographic sparkles. "Here we are. I'll play Change of Heart on your face-down monster."

As Zack's face-down monster card floated across the field and came to rest on Jade's field, he rolled his eyes. "What, can't you take me out on your own merit?"

"Actually, there's something very satisfying about eliminating you with your own monster. Poetic justice and all that. Come out, whatever you are..."

Zack accordingly manipulated the monster card on his duel disk by flipping it upside-down to signify its current controller. Then he turned it over; in response, a hologram of a beautiful, white-winged, black-haired woman with glasses and a large tome clutched to her chest appeared. "You're revealing my Hysteric Fairy (1800/500)," he announced.

Jade spared a glance at her Life Point counter – 5850 – and nodded to herself. "Well, she probably feels out of place on my field, not being a spellcaster. So, I'll send her to your graveyard by sacrificing her for my Magical Marionette (2000/1000) in attack mode."

He discarded his monster as Jade's considerably more imposing monster appeared. "Still not enough to take on Spirit of the Harp. Lucky for me."

"Doesn't need to be. Kazejin, attack his Spirit of the Harp!"

"_Tsk, tsk._" He pressed one of his m/t activation buttons. "Activate Magic Cylinder. Hope you can take as much of your own medicine as you dish out."

A pair of royal purple cylinders appeared on either side of Spirit; the wind-based attack streaked into one, and then came straight back out the other.

"You'll forgive me if I'm not surprised by that move." The wind-based blast struck her side of the field, making her two Solemn Wishes wail unhappily as her Life Points dropped to 3450. Still, Jade looked unperturbed. "Your defense is gone. And my trap cards are replacing my Life Points while you're scrambling to take them out!"

"I've got plenty of defenses left," he responded. "Anything else?"

"Not this turn."

"Fine." He drew his next card. "I place one monster in defense mode. That finishes my turn."

"I'll draw, and then have Magical Marionette attack the monster you just played."

The menacing puppeteer's attack flashed across the field and struck Zack's face-down monster – a red-haired girl who looked distinctly annoyed that she'd been attacked. She vanished without a whimper, however.

"You've destroyed my Otohime (0/100)," Zack grinned. "And that means I get to shift one of your monsters' battle positions. Otohime, send Kazejin to defense position."

A beam of light wrapped about Kazejin as Otohime dissolved. The green Brother crossed its arms, its presence becoming distinctly less imposing. Jade rolled her eyes. "End of my turn."

"Whoops, I made her mad." He scoffed and drew his next card. "Well. This should even the scores considerably. I play Raigeki to clear your monster field!"

"Counter with Magic Jammer, Zack!" Jade's voice was full of satisfaction as she activated her magic-disabling trap. "I discard Dark Hole to pay the cost and keep my monsters right where they are. If you were relying on that to save you, I think you just lost this duel!"

"Oh, please," he sniffed. "It might have been nice, but I'll deal without it. I can adapt. So I place another monster in defense and finish my turn there."

"Very well. I draw–" Her Life Points soared to 5450. "–and then I'll have Kazejin once more attack your Spirit of the Harp. No Magic Cylinder to hide behind this time."

"Maybe not, but I do have Enchanted Javelin. Hello, Life Points." Zack's jewel-encrusted spear bolted through Kazejin as its attack swept Spirit of the Harp away; his Life Points shot up to 6400. He glanced at his LP counter, then raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. You haven't laid a finger on my Life Points yet."

"Small potatoes."

"I don't do anything small," he said matter-of-factly.

She chose not to respond to the flippant remark and instead pointed at his other face-down monster. "Magical Marionette, attack!"

Zack's Neo the Magic Swordsman (1700/1000) gave a defiant bellow as he was obliterated.

"And I'll have Aqua Madoor attack your Life Points directly."

Even as another tidal wave came crushing in on Zack, he responded with, "Activate Numinous Healer!" In reaction, the tidal wave dealt him 1200 Life Points of damage, but his trap just as quickly reduced that damage to 200.

"End turn."

"In that case, I play Graceful Charity," he replied. He drew three new cards, then announced, "I'm discarding Cost Down and Shining Abyss. Next, I place one monster and one magic/trap face-down. That ends my turn."

Jade drew her next card – her Life Points elevated to 6450. "Since you've played two magic cards, Raigeki and Graceful Charity, my Magical Marionette has gained two spell counters. Not only does that increase its attack by 200 points apiece, but it allows for a special effect. By removing these counters, I can destroy one monster on the field. So, I choose your face-down." Jade pointed at the holographic card on his field.

Magical Marionette's effect was an impressive display of dark energy beams extending down to the puppet in its control, which raced across the field and wiped out Zack's monster with a single swipe of its tiny claws – his blue-skinned Mystical Elf (800/2000) uttered only an unintelligible word or two before vanishing into nothingness.

"Which leaves your field open to attack – something that seems to be happening frequently – and since Marionette did such a fine job, it may as well have first slice at your Life Points as well."

"Unfortunately, it won't be able to touch those quite as easily. Activate Negate Attack." A protective vortex appeared in front of Zack to absorb Marionette's attack.

Jade frowned. "Aren't you getting a little tired of always hiding behind trap cards? It's becoming irritating."

"Sorry, are you back there? I can't see you, your Solemn Wishes holograms are in my way."

Jade started to scowl, but it dissolved into a wry laugh. "Maybe. But you can't say I don't take any hits. I have yet to see the same skill from you. End turn."

"There's no skill involved in pulling a card off the top of your deck," he scoffed. "Any half-wit with two Solemn Wishes cards on his field could even the odds to at least 50/50 just as long as he knew how to do that." He drew. "One monster in defense mode, and end turn."

"I don't think you quite understand that I'm going to win this duel, Zack."

"What I understand is that you're living in a future that doesn't exist yet. And if I don't win against you, Kyle will."

"It's nice to know you have faith in someone," Jade said sarcastically as she drew her card, bringing her Life Points to 7450, "since the way you're playing says you're fresh out for yourself. I have Aqua Madoor attack your monster."

"Even a single card can turn the tide," he said, as his Skelengel (900/400) was revealed and destroyed. "Case in point: the monster you just took out, whose flip effect lets me increase my chances." He drew another card to accommodate Skelengel's effect.

"And Magical Marionette will attack you directly."

Marionette's attack washed over Jade's opponent, but once again he announced, "Activate Numinous Healer. And since I've got one in my graveyard, I gain 1500 instead of just 1000." The 2000 points of damage he took was reduced to 500.

"Followed," Jade continued as though she hadn't heard him, "by Kazejin's direct attack."

This time, Kazejin's burst of wind wasn't countered, and Zack's Life Points dropped to 3300.

"Now there's progress. End turn."

"Uh-huh. You want progress?" He drew his next card. "I'll show you progress. First, I remove my destroyed Skelengel and Spirit of the Harp from the game in order to special summon Soul of Purity and Light (2000/1800) in attack mode."

A hail of blue sparkles gave way to a bright, angelic figure with translucent wings, smiling cordially at Jade's side of the field.

"And she's got company. Next, I'll remove my destroyed Thunder Nyan-Nyan and Shining Angel from the game to summon another one, also in attack mode." Where there had been one transparent angel, now there were two, both of them offering Jade's monsters easy smiles.

Jade appeared to take stock. "Well, they make cute bookends."

"And your Kazejin makes a lovely paperweight." He picked up the two monster cards he'd just placed on his duel disk. "Despite their effects, you've got a point in that they're still not quite strong enough to take your monsters on, so I'm sacrificing both of them to summon Wingweaver (2750/2400) in attack mode."

His angels vanished and gave way to a huge, six-winged fairy wrapped in yellow robes and bearing a serene expression.

"Now, with that overwith... Wingweaver, attack her Aqua Madoor."

His monster's attack was a prayer, followed by a beam of cohesive light emanating from between her folded hands. The water-inclined spellcaster's face was hidden behind it's mask, but it shattered and disappeared without a word. In the process, Jade's Life Points lowered to 5900.

"That'll do nicely. End turn," Zack said.

"I draw, and then switch my Magical Marionette to defense position," Jade said, as her Life Points once again elevated by 1000. She glanced at her hand and then stated, "End turn."

Zack drew his next card. "I place one magic/trap card face-down. Wingweaver, attack her Magical Marionette."

Like Jade's previous monster, this one disappeared under Wingweaver's attack.  
"And that ends my turn."

Jade drew again, barely paying attention to the Solemn Wishes as they raised her LP again, this time to 7900. "I'll summon Breaker, the Magical Warrior (1600/1000) in attack mode. The summon grants him a spell counter by his effect, raising his attack power to 1900. Also, I equip my Kazejin with a Malevolent Nuzzler, to make it stronger than Wingweaver."

Typically, the green-skinned Malevolent Nuzzler tended to hang off the more humanoid Duel Monsters in a suggestive manner. Apparently unable to do this with the oddly shaped Kazejin, she settled for perching on the Brother's right shoulder and leering at Zack.

"That makes Kazejin's attack 3100, and I use it to attack Wingweaver!"

"Activate Enchanted Javelin!" Again, a spear went through Kazejin as its cutting wind attack blasted yet another of Zack's monsters into oblivion – first his Life Points ascended to 6400 by the attack, but upon Wingweaver's destruction, fell to 6050.

"I still get a hit on your LP this turn. Breaker, attack Zack directly!"

Breaker's attack was swift, as was the deduction to Zack's Life Points – Zack had an urge to flinch as Breaker brought its holographic sword to bear on its human opponent.

"End turn," Jade said confidently, once Breaker had returned to her side of the field.

Zack drew his next card. The expression on his face was one of stoicism – he wasn't happy about the card he'd drawn but he wasn't going to let on about it. "I place one monster in defense mode, and end my turn here."

"I'll draw, and then summon my Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode, to destroy the monster you've just played," she announced, setting the card onto the disk.

At that, his face split into a grin. "Nice try." His Arsenal Summoner (1600/1600) flipped face-up; the monster was a spellcaster kneeling in a defensive posture, and provided enough cover to block Jade's attack. "And now I get to collect a card with Guardian in its name to my hand."

"It doesn't matter." Jade shook her head. "You'll never get the chance to use it. I'm finishing this duel. Breaker, attack and destroy his Arsenal Summoner."

This time, Arsenal Summoner dissolved under Breaker's blow.

"And with no protection, Kazejin can attack you directly," Jade finished, as the holographic winds swirled up.

The cutting winds, simulated though they were, still bit at Zack and deducted 3100 Life Points from his score, taking him down to 1050.

"End turn," Jade said, her green eyes glittering.

He drew his next card, then looked back up at Jade. "Actually... you don't need to finish this duel. Allow me."

And then he put the drawn card back on top of his deck and placed his right hand over the deck slot.

Jade's expression twisted into anger a split second after she realized what he was doing. "You're surrendering," she accused.

"You've got it." He pressed the red thumb stud on the duel disk's handgrip, causing the device to deactivate and return to idle mode. His holoprojectors winked out, causing the holograms on Jade's field to distort slightly.

Her mouth opened, then closed, then she snapped, "But you _don't_ surrender!"

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I just did."

With a sound of disgust, Jade turned off her own duel disk; her holograms flicked and vanished as well, leaving the space between them empty.

He rolled his eyes as he fished out the prize cards he'd put up for grabs for this tournament. "Oh, now what? First you whine that I'm not giving you a challenge, and then when I decide to stop wasting your precious time, you get pissed off? Did I miss something here?"

"Yes!" Jade barked, looking just shy of stomping her foot. "You _surrendered_. You just _gave up_. It's _frustrating_!"

"Hey, if I'm going to lose, I'm going to make sure I do it with dignity. I'm not going to walk away from this tournament with my tail between my legs."

"Fine. I won." She held out her hand expectantly.

"Hold on. Somehow, I get the impression that these aren't what you're looking for." He flipped the two cards in his hand around: Novox's Prayer and Skull Guardian, a pair of matching ritual cards.

Jade's face fell as she saw the cards.

"They're what I wagered for the tournament, but they don't fit your style." He scanned her expression for a moment, then pulled his deck out of his duel disk and thumbed through it. "I think I've got something that would fit you." He held out another card. "Will this do?" The card glittered up at both of them: Copycat, an extremely rare Spellcaster-Type monster.

Jade blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you had a Copycat card," she said.

"I have two, actually. It's not as rare as Skull Guardian, but it's still hard to come by, and it has a decent effect that can pull you out of a tough spot. If I'd drawn it that last turn, we'd still be dueling now."

"True," Jade murmured. "You've wagered this card?"

"Under these circumstances, I'll let it be the wager. Either that, or you go home with a pair of cards you're never going to use."

Jade nodded, showing that she'd accept the offer. "And the locator card."

"I've got three. Since you said 'the', I'll assume you have one." He offered a single locator card – a device used in conjunction with five others to find where the final rounds of the tournament were taking place, and an effective gambling token. Every duelist here had been issued a single locator along with their duel disk.

Jade took the transparent card and the Copycat card.

"Now... with that, I'd say our business is concluded. So have a good day." Zack turned and collected his holoprojectors, then continued up the street without affording Jade another glance.

But before he had even moved two blocks away from the battle he'd just lost, he could feel another pair of eyes watching him.

A pair of eyes that hadn't seen him for months.

He glanced up. "Hello, Kyle."


	9. Falling Out

_A/N: All right, Chapter 9 is here. Hope you're enjoying the quick updates so far, and I hope those of you who are reading (including those who aren't necessarily reviewing) are enjoying the story itself as well as the quick updates._

Mira: You're hardly the only one who doesn't like Jade, and I won't hold that against you since she's made to be unlikeable. She's one of those duelists that shows up to win, not to make friends.

Lumen: Well, here's the new chapter for your reading pleasure. More nail-biting excitement, no doubt... that is, if you're prone to nail-biting. I bounce my knees.

Monica: Actually, after having played the duel out, I can tell you with full certainty that he would have lost – he just didn't feel like being humiliated by giving a pretense of denial. Nevertheless, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one.

-------

Kyle continued to stare at Zack. The man had changed a little bit, but not much since the last time they'd seen each other – which had been the first and only time they'd ever dueled. A cursory once-over let Kyle know that Zack was here for the same reason he was... to compete in this elite tournament.

Nevertheless, he couldn't stop himself. "What are you doing here?"

Zack chuckled. "Oh, come on, Kyle, you can do better than that. Your eyesight isn't that bad. I'll bet you saw the duel disk on my arm before you even saw _me_. It's why you're here, after all, isn't it?"

"But... you're in a _tournament_. A huge one. You wouldn't even attend the Madison tourney and... you're _here_."

"Yes, I sure am." Zack looked around – there was a pair of duelists a few block away participating in a duel, and a throng of curious folk had surrounded the arena they'd set up. "And I'm here to duel. What about you, Kyle? Are you here to duel, or just stand around and make small talk all day? That's not going to get you to the finals."

Kyle's eyes regained their focus. "I know what'll get me to the finals," he replied. "Six locator cards are all I need."

"And how many do you have?" Zack asked.

Kyle let out a sigh. "One."

"One? It's been more than an hour into the tournament and you haven't yet challenged anyone?" Zack _tsk_ed. "Kyle, really... you know better than that. Just because you have Labyrinth Brothers on the line doesn't mean you should just chicken out. You need to take the initiative, or else you'll get challenged by someone else who was a quick thinker. Even worse, you'll just get left behind with that one measly locator."

Zack paced back and forth. "You came all this way, and you haven't done anything about it. Typically you, I suppose, but in this tournament, you have to grab your opponent by the horns. _Make_ him duel you. If he refuses, he's out for good and you'll have one less wuss to worry about."

"You're nothing but talk," Kyle accused. "I beat you once before. Now I've got two Labyrinth Brothers and as far as I know, you don't even have _one_ to your credit."

Zack smirked. "Then what're you going to do? Challenge me? Go ahead. Take the initiative. Show me you can do what you're here to do – to prove to everyone, as well as yourself, that you're worth more than anyone ever believed you to be."

Kyle's expression darkened. "I've got nothing to prove to anyone. But if it's a challenge you want, then I'll give you one. Let's duel."

"Just what I wanted to hear," his newfound opponent grinned. Almost in unison, the two duelists ejected their holoprojector pods and activated their duel disks.

"Now, I've already lost a Battle City match... probably because I went second in that round," Zack informed him. "So I think I'll go first this time around."

"Fine by me," Kyle responded, "since I usually operate on the assumption that the challenger goes second."

"Good deal." Zack and Kyle both drew their first five cards, and then Zack drew his sixth. "Let's get this show on the road. I place three magic/traps face-down and end my turn."

The three m/t's manifested as holograms directly at Zack's feet. Kyle raised an eyebrow at them as he drew his sixth card. _Cool._ "All right, then. I place one magic/trap face-down, and then summon Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode."

Kyle's monster appeared on the field in front of his m/t, no less real in the middle of the street than on a holographic dueling arena. It bore a vicious axe and an even more vicious grin, and somewhere near its knees a set of Vorse Raider's attack/defense values appeared in bold neon colors. Kyle blinked at Zack's lack of a response. _Huh. No Trap Holes. He's probably protecting his Life Points in other ways, though._ "Vorse Raider, attack his Life Points!"

"Not so fast, Kyle. Activate Enchanted Javelin!"

Zack's trap flipped face-up, and a jewel-encrusted javelin appeared in front of it, then speared through Vorse Raider as it rushed in to attack. Zack grunted as the axe sliced at him, effectively depriving him of 1900 Life Points – but then his LP just as quickly went straight back up to 4000.

_Right... I should have remembered that one._ "End turn, then."

Zack drew his next card. "I play Copycat (0/0) in attack mode."

Kyle raised an eyebrow as a spellcaster dressed in a court jester's outfit with a mirror in front of its face wavered into existence – as did its ATK/DEF factors. "Tell me that does something useful and you're not just trying to throw the game."

"Oh, it's useful, all right. Whenever I summon Copycat to the field, it can take on the attack and defense values of one of your monsters. In this case, Vorse Raider."

Accordingly, Copycat's mirror aimed at the one monster on Kyle's field, and its ATK/DEF values rose to 1900/1200.

"Of course, if I were to attack now, the result would simply be both creatures leave the field. So to change that, I put into play the field magic card Luminous Spark." The field between the two duelists began to sparkle with random tricks of light. "If you'll recall our last duel, this card increases the attack power of all Light monsters by 500 and decreases their defenses by 400. And Copycat is Light, so..." Zack gestured to Copycat's new values of 2400/800. "Copycat, attack Vorse Raider."

A blast of light from the fingers on Copycat's free hand streamed toward Kyle's monster. Kyle pressed the button meant to activate the one card he still had face-down. "I activate Mirror Force, to destroy your Copycat!"

Zack _tsk_ed and pressed an activation button of his own. "I was expecting something like that. I pay 1000 Life Points to activate Seven Tools of the Bandit and stop your Mirror Force in its tracks. I much prefer to keep my monster and see yours gone." Zack's Life Points sank to 3000 for the activation of Seven Tools.

Copycat's beam sent Vorse Raider to oblivion, and Kyle's Life Points dropped to 3500.

"Your move," said Zack.

Kyle drew. _Wow. And here I thought he was starting off weak._

**_You should know better than to underestimate him, especially after your last duel._**

_Ehh._ "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn," Kyle announced.

"Hmm." Zack drew. "I place one magic/trap face-down. Copycat, attack his monster."

Copycat did exactly as it was told – only to find its attack target flipping face-up. Kyle's Man-Eater Bug (450/600) appeared, then sailed across the field, latched onto Copycat, and exploded... taking Copycat along with it.

"That'll do," Kyle said, satisfied.

"Irritating little bug." Zack sighed. "End turn."

Kyle drew, then said, "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then play Mystical Elf (800/2000) in attack mode."

Kyle's Mystical Elf appeared, her eyes closed and her hands pressed together in prayer. Her lips moved, but only unintelligible sound came out. Zack pursed his lips. "I see you're taking advantage of Luminous Spark."

"I believe you've got it," Kyle responded, as Mystical Elf's values changed to 1300/1600. "Mystical Elf, attack his Life Points."

An orb of glowing energy appeared in front of Mystical Elf as her praying became louder. That orb shot across the field and struck Zack squarely in the chest. He grunted as his Life Points dropped to 1700. "Ow."

"My turn's finished."

"Good." Zack drew. "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

_He must be running out of things to play._ Kyle drew. "I place one magic/trap face-down, along with one monster face-down. Mystical Elf, attack once more."

Another orb bolted toward Zack, but as it did so, Zack announced, "Activate Enchanted Javelin." As soon as he was struck, his Life Points sank to 400, but then jumped back up to 1700.

Kyle harrumphed. _The longer he delays my attacks, the more chance he has of pulling off a combo I can't stop._ "End turn."

And sure enough, after he'd drawn his next card, Zack announced, "I play Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1400/1000) in attack mode."

"Activate Trap Hole," Kyle quickly supplemented.

"Ah-ah. Activate Seven Tools of the Bandit." Once more, Zack's Life Points descended by a thousand to stop Kyle's Trap Hole; meanwhile, his holographic monster appeared without further hindrance. It was a rather hideous creature, in Kyle's opinion; hands sprouted from it in every possible direction, including on its face. It bore all shades of green, and several of its arms crossed in front of its hand-heavy chest. Green fingers flexed in every direction, making it look almost like Medusa. Kyle's eyes shifted down to its attack and defense factors, now changing to 1900/600. _Another Light monster. His deck's festooned with them._

"I don't suppose this thing is related to Senju of the Thousand Hands, is it?" Kyle inquired.

"Related, yes, but a better effect. Senju only lets you retrieve a ritual monster from your deck... Manju lets you retrieve either a ritual monster or a ritual magic card." Zack looked through his deck, found an appropriate card, placed it among those in his hand, and then re-shuffled his deck. "Now, with that overwith... Manju, attack Mystical Elf."

Manju's response was to pad across the field on its numerous hands and completely envelop Mystical Elf in a crushing embrace. Kyle's Life Points dropped to 2900.

"And that ends my turn."

Kyle drew. _I can't attack, but I can at least defend._ "I sacrifice my face-down Kotodama (0/1600) in order to place another monster in defense mode. And my turn's finished."

"All right, then," said Zack, drawing. "I place one monster face-down and switch Manju to defense mode. Your turn."

Kyle drew once more, then said, "I place one magic/trap card face-down and end my turn."

"Hm. I also place one magic/trap face-down. But I won't stop there." Zack grinned. "I sacrifice Manju and my face-down Time Wizard (500/400) in order to summon Wingweaver (2750/2400) in attack mode."

From the remains of the sacrificial monsters, there rose a fairy that – unlike its predecessors – was extremely beautiful. She wore a yellow wraparound cloak, and six great white wings sprouted from her back. Her long brown hair flowed about her shoulders, and her face was serene. Her ATK/DEF changed to 3250/2000. _Yuck. Stronger than a Blue-Eyes. But not without its weaknesses._

"Wingweaver, attack his monster."

"Guess again," said Kyle. "Activate Widespread Ruin."

Kyle's trap flipped up and loosed a cloud of flame upon Wingweaver. When the cloud dissipated, there was nothing left – it had incinerated the opposing monster.

"Hm. Well, it's not going to do me any good to leave myself open to attack... so instead I'm going to summon another monster."

"You can only summon one per turn."

"I can only summon one normally, yes. But this is a special summon, and in order to perform it, I need to remove two Light monsters from my graveyard. So goodbye to Time Wizard and Manju... and hello, Soul of Purity and Light (2000/1800)."

In place of Wingweaver, a transparent fairy appeared. Her wide see-through wings flapped gently as she hovered there, waiting for her opportunity to attack. She was nearly as beautiful as her predecessor, and nearly as dangerous, as well – for her attack and defense had become 2500/1400.

_I need to get him on the defensive. His monsters are losing defense points because of that field card, and that can be to my advantage if only I can bring out a high-powered monster. Maybe if I can bring Sanga out... he'd be powered up by the field card, too, after all..._

"By the way, Soul of Purity and Light has a special effect besides the way she's summoned," Zack mentioned. "Whenever your Battle Phase comes along, all of your face-up monsters lose 300 attack points for the duration of that phase."

_Great, so now I'll need a monster who can do better than 2800 attack points... and the only two monsters in my deck that could do it are Sanga and Tri-Horned Dragon. I guess we're about to see if I'm lucky enough to draw either one._

"End turn."

Kyle drew his next card. _Hmm, no luck._ "I place one magic/trap card face-down and end my turn."

"Well, in that case, I'll place one monster face-down. Now, Soul, if you would attack his face-down monster?"

Soul's attack was a screamer-like flying sweep of Kyle's face-down – only to be repelled by a massive warrior festooned with swords and bearing a giant shield.

"You'll have to try harder if you want to destroy my Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500)," Kyle remarked.

"Indeed, it seems that way," Zack agreed. "That ends my turn."

Kyle drew, but shook his head. "I'm not playing anything this turn."

That caused his opponent to draw – and then Zack announced, "Neither am I. Your turn."

Kyle raised an eyebrow as he drew. _Well, this duel could be a lot more interesting._ "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Zack drew his next card, then glanced up at Kyle with a look of satisfaction. "All right, then. I play Otohime (0/100) in attack mode."

Another attractive Light monster appeared alongside his Soul of Purity and Light. This one had long red hair and wore a purple vest, as well as a matching skirt and elbow-high gloves. One side of her exposed midsection was decorated with yellow tattoos, as was her left shoulder.

As her attack/defense shifted to 500/0, Zack noted her effect. "Whenever Otohime is revealed on the field, she can change the battle position of one of your monsters. In this case, I declare her effect on your Shogun."

Kyle ground his teeth as a white aura surrounded both Otohime and Shogun. Shogun threw his shield over his shoulder and then pulled out a pair of the massive swords on his back as he was switched to attack mode. _Shogun's a lot weaker in attack mode..._

"And now, Soul of Purity and Light, attack Total Defense Shogun."

Soul's screamer attack didn't go unchallenged this time, and Shogun shattered in a haze of sparkles. Kyle's Life Points descended to 1950.

"Otohime has another effect that makes her especially tidy," Zack continued. "She's a Spirit monster, and as such, she returns to my hand at the end of my turn. That way I don't have any messy openings in my Life Points to worry about."

"How very convenient," Kyle muttered.

"Got that right. I end my turn." And with that, Otohime vanished from the field, and Zack pulled it from his duel disk to return it to his hand.

Kyle drew his next card. _This isn't going to do me any good right now... let's just hope I hold out._ "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

"All right. I replay Otohime in attack mode, and switch your remaining monster into face-up attack mode."

"Thus revealing my Wall of Illusion (1000/1850)," Kyle reported calmly. His calm was entirely fake. _This is bad... with his field card in play, even with Wall's effect, he could win the game right here and now. All he needs to do is attack with Soul, and then follow up with Otohime..._

Zack cocked his head. "You wouldn't leave yourself open to that move. Not when you knew it was coming. No... I think I'll refrain from attacking this turn. Otohime returns to my hand. Your move."

Kyle blinked in surprise. _He thinks I've got something to counter Soul's attack?_ Nevertheless, he drew his next card – and let out a sigh of relief. _Finally, some luck._ "I play Pot of Greed," he said, and he drew two extra cards by that card's effect. The next two gave him even more cause to grin.

He looked back up at Zack. "Get ready for a bizarre play."

"I've seen a lot of those. Bring it on."

"All right, then, here goes." Kyle pressed one of his m/t buttons. "I placed this card on the field already, so I activate Polymerization from there, in order to fuse the Crass Clown (1350/1400) and Dream Clown (1200/900) cards I have in my hand..."

The two announced monsters appeared on the field for a moment, and then their holograms seemed to merge into each other by the effect of Kyle's Polymerization card. A dark cloud rose up around the blending creatures.

"And that gives rise to Bickuribox (2300/2000)."

Out of the dark cloud, a freakish jack-in-the-box creature sprung up and giggled insanely at Zack's Soul. It was outfitted in court jester's clothing, but there was no doubt in either of their minds that laughing was the least of its abilities.

"According to Battle City rules, since that's a fusion monster, it has to wait a turn before it can attack," Zack said. "By which time I'll have dispensed with it already."

"I don't want it to attack. What I wanted was more tribute fodder on my field, and since that was a special summon, I can still play a monster from my hand in the normal fashion. I sacrifice Bickuribox and Wall of Illusion in order to summon Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode!"

Kyle's Tri-Horned Dragon, as compared to the two duelists, was gargantuan. It seemed to stand at least three stories tall, and was no doubt giving people in the office buildings on either side of the street something to stare at as it rose up from the twinkling remains of the tribute monsters.

"And since my dragon _isn't_ a fusion monster, he can attack right now. Which is exactly what I want him to do. Tri-Horned Dragon, attack Soul of Purity and Light!"

As the turn moved into Kyle's battle phase, and his dragon stomped across the field, its attack points descended to 2550 – _due to Soul's effect, of course. But it's not enough to counter the attack._

Tri-Horned Dragon roared and swiped its claws at Zack's fairy. She shrieked as she was destroyed. Zack's Life Points dropped to 650.

"That's enough for me to activate my trap card," said Zack, "so I activate Numinous Healer."

The trap revealed a woman dressed in a nurse's uniform standing on Zack's m/t field. His Life Points rose up to 1650.

"Whenever I take Life Point damage, I can activate this card to increase my Life Points by a thousand. If I have Numinous Healers in my graveyard already, my Life Points go even higher."

"At this point, it seems rather unlikely you'll make it long enough to get another one," Kyle responded. "I end my turn."

"We'll see what I can come up with." Zack drew his next card. "I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster in defense mode. End turn."

_He's on the defensive now. And all he's got going for him are Light monsters – since they lose four hundred defense points by his own field card, he's lost his advantage. I'd better take hold of the opportunity._ Kyle drew, then announced, "I play Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode."

His Slate Warrior appeared next to Tri-Horned, looking pitiful by comparison... yet it was one of the most powerful monsters of its level.

"Tri-Horned Dragon, attack the monster on the left," Kyle ordered, pointing to the monster Zack had been keeping on his field for a while now.

The swipe of his dragon's claws revealed the monster to be Magician of Faith (300/400), now with a defense power of zero.

"Ah, well," Zack shrugged. "I don't have any magic cards in my graveyard, so I can't retrieve any by her effect."

"Too bad for you. Slate Warrior, attack his remaining monster."

Slate Warrior's punch ended up causing Zack's Otohime to be showcased once again, upon the eve of its destruction.

"I thought so," Kyle said.

"Remember Otohime's effect... one of your monsters goes to defense mode," Zack reminded him. "And in this case, I choose your Tri-Horned Dragon."

The white aura appeared once more, and Kyle's dragon took on a less aggressive stance.

"Fine. I'll just put it back next turn. My turn's finished."

"Hm." Zack drew his next card...

Then looked up at Kyle.

And placed his right hand on top of his deck.

Kyle frowned. _That's the gesture for surrender._ "You're giving up?"

"I've got nothing left to play. I've done my best, and it apparently didn't hold out quite as well as I'd hoped." He gave Kyle a small smile. "I'd just as soon not have to get hit by your monsters. I know when to quit, and it's time to do just that." He pressed his thumb stud.

Kyle blinked as the holograms vanished into the nothingness from which they'd come.

"Well, don't just stand there, Kyle," Zack snickered. "Pick up your projectors and then get over here to claim your well-deserved prize. You won, after all. Initiative, remember?" He moved to retrieve his own holoprojectors.

Kyle did the same after a moment, and when he pressed his thumb stud, the field plates on his duel disk split apart and swung back into idle mode. He approached Zack warily.

Zack, for his part, merely grinned. "S'all right, Kyle. Not everyone can make it to the finals, after all."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what is?"

"You are." Kyle crossed his arms. "I don't heard a single word from you for months, and then you pop up in Battle City, just like that. And everything's automatically okay?"

Zack shrugged. "I've had to deal with some things. Sorry if that grates, but frankly, you can't expect me to stick around forever."

"No, but I can expect you to at least let me in on all your little plans when they involve me in some major way."

"And I did, didn't I? You've got Sanga. And Suijin, too – congratulations against Madison, by the way. I especially liked the wink. Oh, man, that pissed her off."

Kyle blew his breath out through his nose, a sign of annoyance. "You were trying to get as far away from both Jade and Sanga as possible."

"A goal I accomplished, too. For a time, anyway."

Kyle wasn't listening. "You stuck me in the middle of all this. Do you have any idea how much she's hounded me for the Brothers? She nearly got the entire set at one point."

"But she didn't get the set," Zack pointed out, "and with your dueling skills and that nicely amped deck of yours, it'll stay that way."

"You're so sure."

"Yeah, I am. And you should be, too." Zack thumbed through his deck and plucked a pair of cards from it, then removed a locator card from a slot in his duel disk. He held all three out to Kyle. "Your prize."

Kyle's brow creased as he took the cards. The locator was just a card-sized section of clear plastic with a microchip inside; the Duel Monsters cards, on the other hand, were much more impressive.

One was the ritual magic card Novox's Prayer.

The other was Skull Guardian (2050/2500), the corresponding ritual monster.

Kyle raised an eyebrow and looked back up at Zack. "You sure you want to part with these?"

Zack shrugged. "They're the cards I wagered for Battle City. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather they go to."

At that, Kyle frowned again. "I thought you said you lost a Battle City match already."

"I did. The winner wanted something else I had, so I handed that over instead."

"Who was the other winner?"

At that, Zack smirked. "Some mysteries are better left unsolved. But I'm sure you'll find out for yourself."

Kyle wasn't sure he liked the sound of that, but he chose not to press the issue. "What're you going to do now? Keep giving up?"

Zack shook his head. "I don't think you quite understand what I'm doing."

"Bingo, Sherlock."

"I'm doing all of this to help you." Zack gave Kyle a significant look. "From the first moment you walked into the store to the win you just made now... all of it has been because I wanted to help you."

"Help me with what?"

"You lost yourself. After hearing all those stories about you, I wasn't sure if you could ever be found again. Then Chubs brought you in and said you were gaining an interest in Duel Monsters, a game I love. That's been the one driving force in your life, ever since. Look at what's happened ever since you found something you could enjoy."

"Duel Monsters isn't the only reason I changed, Zack. I couldn't bear to watch myself do the things I was doing anymore."

"And you had to get a fresh start, didn't you? Duel Monsters was perfect for that since you'd never played before. _Now_ look at you. You're here, a star duelist ready to take on anyone."

"Don't start thanking yourself for that," Kyle scoffed. "I could have gotten your kind of help anywhere."

"If you say so. But I'm not thanking myself for anything. The person I'm thanking is you."

"Me?"

"You're a good duelist, and a good person. You're to thank for becoming all of those." Zack offered a smile. "You're the friend people ask for. Receptive, adaptive... flexible."

"All of which could be applied to the bunny ears on top of my grandmother's TV set."

Zack shrugged. "Then I guess it all depends on you. Bunny ears catch and relay what other people say and nothing more. I could stand here all day and tell you the differences _I_ see... but the viewpoint that counts is yours."

For that, Kyle was surprised to find he had no answer. Even Theoris was slightly startled to hear the analogy.

Zack's smile returned. "Anyway. Congratulations on your first win. I hope those cards will do right by you."

And then he turned and walked away... leaving Kyle and Theoris both to ponder what he'd said.

_I used to catch and relay for my parents. Hell, I sometimes even do it for you, when it suits me..._

**Does this disturb you, that you would relay what I say?**

...I don't know.

**Kyle... do you trust me?**

Yes. Yes, I trust you.

**Then that is all that matters. Go now, and seek out another opponent. Whatever you may think, Zack is right – your decisions are entirely your own and it is easy to see for those of us that are not you.**

_Why has it suddenly become harder to figure myself out?_

**We must all find ourselves. You are still finding yourself. And I would help you in this quest, should you wish for such.**

Kyle nodded after a moment. _Yeah, I know. And thanks._ Then he looked back up. _Well. I still have a long way to go in this tournament. Things should start to get very interesting._


	10. The Crossroads

_A/N: So Chapter 10 has arrived, and with it, a couple of unexpected visitors. Want to know what I'm talking about? Read ahead and you'll find out!_

Mira: Thanks! He likes playing the coaching-type figure. He doesn't mind losing as long as it makes someone he likes do better.

Skraku: Zack doesn't have a lot of pride to begin with. He prefers to keep that in check and play for fun, not for fame and money. No sugar?! That's enough incentive!

-------

Kyle admired the two cards given him a moment longer, then found a nearby bench and took a seat to shuffle them into his deck. The duel disks actually had automatic shufflers, but for those who preferred to do it by hand, that option was certainly available – and Kyle was one who liked to shuffle them by hand whenever possible. It felt more real that way. More like he was in control, rather than some machine on his arm... no matter how advanced it might be.

"Excuse me."

He glanced up – and found himself staring into the face of the Egyptologist he'd seen the night before. Her Millennium Tauk glittered down at him in the bright sunlight... or perhaps the cause was instead the power within it.

The woman herself offered Kyle no readable expression. He recalled Shadi's face and found her expression to be quite comparable to his. His gray eyes narrowed. "Yes? Something I can do for you?"

"Be cautious," she replied. "That is the first thing you must do. Your plight has begun. This day may be one of the most difficult you have ever seen."

Kyle cut and shuffled his deck one last time before slipping it back into his duel disk, and he got to his feet. "Tell me."

She shook her head. "I cannot tell you everything, for even I do not know what is to become of you."

He frowned. "Your Millennium item is supposed to be able to see the future."

"The immediate future is clouded, to say nothing of the distant future." She linked her hands behind her back. "This world is facing its destiny. A pall has fallen over this place. Everyone here has reached a crossroads... even those that fate had not originally intended to allow continuation."

"Then you don't know who's going to win."

"I do not. The most I can tell you is that you have nothing to fear from the Rare Hunters who now plague these streets. Their purpose does not include you."

"The Rare Hunters?" Kyle glanced around. "I saw someone wearing a purple cape..."

"Not all of them wear robes. Some do. As I have said, you have nothing to fear from them. They will not approach you. But there will be others who shall."

"The magicians?"

She didn't reply to that. "I do not know what will become of you. But I will be here when you have need of my services."

"No offense, but if you can't see the future, I don't think I'm going to find much more use for you or your necklace."

She gave him a piercing stare with those blazing blue eyes, and said nothing. Kyle felt himself grow distinctly uncomfortable under her gaze. The sound of a low-flying helicopter approaching broke the awkward silence, and in the midst of the onrush of sound the woman apparently found fit to take her leave.

Kyle had no inclination to follow. In fact, he was beginning to feel heart-sick. _I'd give a lot to know how Monica's doing so far. With these so-called Rare Hunters buzzing around, it's hard to tell whether this tournament is actually safe or not._

One thing's for sure, he thought, as he heard the helicopter passing low over the streets. _Kaiba sure made this thing dramatic._

He glanced up in the general direction of the sound of the 'copter, and noticed that it was actually flying lower than he'd expected. Not only that, it was flying directly over the middle of the streets.

He frowned. _No KaibaCorps insignia? I would have expected that, at least._

Then he noticed someone hanging out the side door.

Literally.

His frown grew deeper. _What the hell's going on?_

Kyle could just barely make out the sounds of that person shouting. When Kyle's eyes flitted down towards the end of the street, he spotted the people that person was yelling at.

_Yugi Motou and Seto Kaiba... something's wrong..._

**_Yes, terribly wrong... I can sense the concern and the fear coming from... from Him..._**

Who, Yugi?

Look closer, Kyle... that is not Yugi Motou. Do not use your eyes, use your heart.

Kyle squinted, nevertheless. Yet, he thought he could see it. _Wait a minute. He seems bigger than I'd expect. Taller. And he's got some kind of aura around him..._

Oh... I get it... Kyle's eyes widened as he stared into the face of the being who was not Yugi Motou.

**_It is my king and my lord... It is the Pharaoh Himself... Ra-incarnate..._**

What's happening? Kyle looked back up at the helicopter, which had come to a rest in midair. The person hanging out the door became more recognizable to Kyle. _That's Mokuba Kaiba, the commissioner... and he's been tied up!_

**Perhaps it is these Rare Hunters whom the woman spoke of.**

But if Yugi–

**He is the Pharaoh, Kyle... you must never forget that.**

Fine... but he wouldn't be feeling that much concern for the commissioner, would he?

**He was and is a compassionate creature... it only makes sense that He would take concern for others.**

But concern and fear? Wouldn't that be Kaiba's job, to fear for his brother? Wouldn't Yugi – or the Pharaoh, whatever – simply be determined to help, instead of fearful? I think something else has happened.

**Something might have happened, yes... I sense great anger and impatience from Him.**

Could the Rare Hunters have done something else to provoke him?

**Whatever they have or have not done, you should offer your services to Him... I can think of no greater purpose than to join the Pharaoh and His just cause.**

If he's as powerful as you claim, then would he really need my help?

**Perhaps not. However, everyone – even the Pharaoh – can make proper use of all the help they can acquire.**

Kyle started towards the duo, who were now turned away from him and facing a rather stout man that had jumped down from the rooftops. However, before he even took five strides, another man ran into him and knocked him down.

"Jerk," Kyle muttered, and he struggled to get to his feet.

An age-spotted hand hovered above Kyle and snapped its fingers.

Kyle felt himself violently thrown back to the ground by some inexplicable, invisible force. Through a haze of pain, his eyes focused on the man above him. He groaned. "What...?"

The man's face, like his hand, was spotted and wrinkled with great age. His white hair was thin and wispy. His beard was long and ragged, and his mottled teeth were revealed in a smile of demented glee. He was cloaked in a robe of midnight blue.

**_A magician!_**

Oh, really?! I hadn't noticed!

Kyle growled under the massive pressure being exerted on him. "Let me up, you–"

"I do not think so," the man rasped. His voice sounded twice as old as he looked, a hoarse and reedy noise that oozed with contempt. "You and I, we have business."

"We've got nothing of the – agh!" Kyle's response was cut short by the pressure, which seemed to increase tenfold.

"Any harder and I shall shatter your ribcage," the old man whispered. "You may as well hear what I have to say, because it should be of great importance to you, anyway."

Kyle was trying too hard to breathe to respond. Fighting the pressure was next to impossible. He gasped in what little air he could, and his body tried to make do. Stars danced across his eyes.

"Will you agree to listen?"

_Theoris... this really hurts..._

**I know. Give me only a few moments – there may be a way to absorb his attack.**

Kyle could only tilt his head in acknowledgment. He was no good to anyone as a rag doll.

The pressure on his chest – all of it – lifted, allowing him to check for injuries. He stayed on the ground, however, to avoid incurring the wrath of the man now standing before him.

The old man pointed at the helicopter, which was beginning to lift higher into the air, and looked back at Kyle. "My message is brief, and so shall I be. Just as the Rare Hunters and their ilk have taken someone important to Kaiba, so have we taken someone important to you."

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"You do not know? We have her even now."

This time, his eyes went wide. "Monica?"

"See for yourself, boy." The man brought his palm up, his fingers arched upward, and his palm seemed to catch fire. Out of that fire came unnatural light and colors that could not have come from a fire. Kyle knew it had to be some kind of optical illusion or an unfamiliar magic that powered this image.

The image was miniature, but it was enough. It showed Monica, securely bound to a metal chair. Her surroundings were impossible to discern, and Kyle was sure that it would remain a secret location for as long as this man, or those he was with, deemed necessary.

"If you hurt her..."

"You, my boy, are hardly in a position to make threats," the old man chortled, snapping his fingers. Again, the great, inexplicable pressure was applied to Kyle's chest, forcing him down to the ground.

"What do you want with her?" Kyle gasped.

"It is not her that we want."

"You sick maniac!" Kyle spat. "Let her go! There's no point in kidnapping her!"

"Ah, but there is. If only I knew what it was, it would make more sense... but I know no more on that matter than what I have already told you. Nevertheless..." The old man grinned again, his yellowing teeth displayed in all their ugliness. "This 'Battle City' tournament you chose to take part in should be of even more interest to you, now. Not only do you have us to consider, but you have three others to think of, as well. Three others who will be absolutely dedicated to dueling you for all that you're worth... that worth including that fascinating pendant about your neck.

"Of course, I could just take it now and save them the trouble... that way all they would have to worry about is which of the Gate Guardian cards they want." The old man closed his fist and flicked his index finger upward, as if to beckon to the Millennium Shield.

The pendant-sized shield glowed and did not budge.

Kyle allowed a small grin. "You might have _some_ kind of power... but the shield answers to me alone."

"Pity. I had wondered why duelists were required in order to take it," the white-bearded man sighed.

"Ancient custom," Kyle responded. "And with ignorance like that – agh!"

Again, the pressure increased exponentially.

"Beware of who you insult," the man rasped. "A sharp enough wit may be what slices your own throat."

_Kill me and you'll never get what you want, bastard..._

**He does not need to kill you to make his statement, and broken bones will not help you. You would do well to keep your silence for the moment. You can still talk to me.**

Kyle ground his teeth. "What... what do you want?"

"I? I only wish to convey the message my masters told me to send. And I have. So now, it becomes a matter of what you're going to do about it. Besides, by now, one would have thought you already knew what they want."

"What use is my Millennium Shield to you?"

"Do not insult our intelligence, nor your own. It contains great power. Power that we desire to harness. But it seems that as long as you are the rightful owner of it, whether alive or dead, you are the one in control of that power."

"And you have duelists out there doing your dirty work for you?"

"The alternative would be to face you ourselves. And while I do not know why my masters choose to have you face other duelists rather than have us do it, I would surmise that they do not like the possibility that you would take them to the Shadow Realm to duel with them... particularly since they are unable to summon Duel Monsters."

_Is he saying I scare them?_

**It sounds as though he is. Use that to your advantage.**

"So what do they want me to do?"

"Duel the duelists we have selected for you. If you lose to any of them, your Millennium Shield and Gate Guardian cards will be the price you pay. The duelists are already aware of this. To deny this is to choose certain death for her."

"And if I win all the duels?"

"You will be apprised."

The old man abruptly vanished into thin air, leaving only a cloud of wispy blue smoke.

Kyle got up and brushed himself off. _This is insane. They'd actually kidnap Monica to get what they want?_

**Her and many more, I would surmise. I do not doubt it for an instant.**

Then we'd better find these three duelists. Otherwise things might get a lot more ugly.

**It is much too late for that.**


	11. Demons Within I

_A/N: Chapter 11 is here. I'm sure everyone who's currently reading this fic has noticed by now that I've been committing to near-daily updates. I aim to get this story posted – in its entirety – by the end of this month, as I have plans for August that would prevent me from updating very much. Wish me luck on this endeavor, and have fun with this story meantime!_

Mira: Very true. Glad you liked the perspectives, I hope they were realistic enough... considering the genre, anyway!

Wolfwings: I'm sure many would agree with you on that proclamation.

Monica: Weird moods help me write, so I encourage those. Since the GG cards are the rarest Kyle has, it makes sense that he would wager them in his duels... and they're powerful, besides.

Eusine: No problem, my friend. I've been updating rather rapidly these days, so it's on both of us. As for what you want, here you go!

-------

Kyle moved quickly through the streets and along the sidewalks, trying to make the Millennium Shield – which he had now enlarged to its full size on his right arm – obvious to all who passed by him. _It's probably the one identifying mark I have that they gave to these duelists..._ Of course, it was difficult not to spot the shield; there weren't many people who would prance about the streets of Battle City wearing such a bulky item of gold on his person.

As he moved, Kyle spotted a morbidly intriguing sight. A man just slightly shorter and slightly older than him was standing over another man garbed in a black robe. The black-robed man was cowering in a corner of a nearby alley.

Kyle frowned at that. _Is that a magician?_

**No, Kyle... those are not the robes a magician wears. The color is much too dark, and he is young. The magicians are invariably aged men who have the experience they need to venture out into the world with impunity.**

The man on his feet wore his pale blond hair short, and it almost disappeared against his skin; perhaps he didn't get out in the sun as often as most others tended to. He had an expression of pure contempt on his face, and his voice was decidedly harsh. Kyle couldn't make out the words, but he was pretty sure, from the duel disks on their arms, that the black-robed man had lost a duel and the other man was demanding a bit more than just a card or two.

_If it's not a magician, then that's got to be a Rare Hunter he's picking on._ Kyle snorted. _In which case, the man probably deserves it._

**I wonder what is being demanded.**

The standing man suddenly reached down and grabbed the Rare Hunter by his cloak. The hunter yelled out, but nobody seemed particularly inclined to help him, nor were there any authorities in the area. Kyle raised an eyebrow. _Looks like he's taking it a bit far..._

Then his other eyebrow went up as the hunter shakily pulled his deck from his duel disk and shoved it at the man who was accosting him. The aggressor accepted it wordlessly and released the hunter, but his glare of contempt remained.

_That's a violation of Battle City rules!_

**Yes, it is. However, there are no Battle City officials in the area... and most noticeably absent is Mokuba Kaiba.**

Kyle's eyes darkened. _You had to go and remind me of that._

**Without him or his brother, other acts may go through unchecked.**

_You suggesting that I provide that not-so-gentleman with a friendly reminder?_

**I think he would rather come over here.**

Kyle refocused his eyes on the aggressive man, to see that Theoris was correct; he was staring at Kyle and taking a few tentative steps forward.

Kyle sighed and moved toward the man, though his instincts begged him not to. _This is asking for trouble, Theoris. Look at the way he's staring at me. Reminds me of a guy I once knew... told me he spent his days after school finding stray cats and drowning them in a bucket of water. He had a look in his eye just like that._

Theoris emitted his version of a hiss. **_May he forever burn in the underworld._**

Kyle blinked, then realized why Theoris was so upset. _Oh. Yeah. Cats._

"Hey! You!" The man was pointing at Kyle now. "Your name McCraine?"

"That's right," Kyle responded. "And your name?"

"Peter. Peter Ward," the older man replied. "What's it to you?"

"What's _my_ name to _you_?"

"I've been looking for you all day. I was told you'd be in this tournament; I joined in so I could duel you."

Kyle inwardly rolled his eyes. _Must've heard I had a couple Labyrinth Brothers and wanted to duel me for them._ "Rather forward, aren't you?"

"Why bother being roundabout in your delivery?" The man called Peter shrugged. "And now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way, I challenge you to a duel."

The better angels of Kyle's nature told him to be polite in his response. But Kyle's demons sometimes still had their way of sweet talking his angels into silence. He scoffed. "What're the stakes? My deck against yours?"

"Hardly." Peter frowned. "You know the stakes laid out by the tournament: your rarest card and a locator card. You do have the requisites for both, don't you?"

Kyle ejected a sigh and flashed his two locator cards. "Good enough for you?"

"More than good enough."

"Then perhaps you wouldn't mind telling me why you just now decided to deprive someone of every card he brought with him."

Peter's frown turned into an expression of contempt. "He deserved it. Got that?"

"What I've _got_ is someone who just broke Battle City rules and stole a duelist's deck. I'm concerned you'll try to do the same to me, should I happen to lose."

"You've got nothing to fear from me, kid. You're not a Rare Hunter, just another duelist."

Kyle cocked his head. "Have you got something against Rare Hunters?"

Peter shifted his jaw to one side. "Doesn't everyone? At any rate, I challenged you to a duel, and it's against the rules to refuse me."

"You want to talk to me about rules, you'll tell me what your thing against Rare Hunters is, that makes you willing to break them when you think no one's looking." Kyle crossed his arms, or performed the equivalent to that effect, considering the bulky equipment on both of his arms.

The older man narrowed his eyes. "Trying to get me at every turn, huh? Can't even entertain a simple duelist?"

"I'm in the middle of something that's anything but simple, and I don't have time to play games with thieves," Kyle scorned. "So either you tell me, or the conversation ends here."

Peter ground his teeth. "Yeah, I've got a problem with the Rare Hunters. They wrecked my father's life, and in the end, took it away from him. This is revenge against them for ruining my only family and everyone else they've hurt. A bunch of cards is not worth a man's life, but if they're so determined, I guess there's no real choice but to show them that."

"By taking the cards away?"

"It's justice. I've suffered worse."

Kyle frowned. "Somehow I thought the Rare Hunters were fairly recent."

"And so is my loss! It wouldn't hurt so much, and I wouldn't feel nearly the satisfaction I do, if they weren't."

"Hurting other people won't make the pain go away."

Peter huffed. "How terribly cliché."

"Maybe. But it's true."

"Then I'll acknowledge that truth later. For now, I'm looking to duel. Are you going to accept or not?"

Kyle didn't drop his defiant expression. "What makes you think I want to?"

"You're in this tournament. You wouldn't have entered it if you didn't want to duel."

"Right about now, I'm wishing I hadn't entered it." Kyle sighed and shook his head. "Sorry... not interested."

He turned around and walked off.

"Must be nice," Peter called after him, "to at least have the chance to save the one you love."

Kyle stopped mid-step and his eyes narrowed. _Oh, don't tell me..._

"You don't have to worry about revenge, McCraine. Not as long as you win. That's the one motivation you've got. I mean, look at me. You think I'm so evil and cruel for wanting revenge on the people who hurt me... but here you are, with at least a chance to hang on. I never got that chance. You'd best not deprive yourself of it, otherwise you might end up like me. Bet you wouldn't want that, huh?"

Peter stepped forward, stopping only a few feet from Kyle. "They're inspired by revenge and greed. I could see it the moment they came to me. They'll never let you have it all back. I should know. I wouldn't let my opponent take back _everything_. You'll lose something, in the end, and you'll never get it back."

Kyle twisted around to face Peter. "What's your excuse?" he asked hotly. "Why did they recruit you?"

"They were willing to give me something. I couldn't resist the chance. It was such a simple trade-off, it was..." Peter shook his head. "It was ridiculous. I had to accept. They held up their end of the bargain, and I'm holding mine up in return. Or, trying to." He stuck his hands in his pockets, and his pale blue eyes scanned Kyle's expression. "But as long as you refuse me, I can't hold my end up."

"A duel?"

Peter nodded. "And I'm afraid the stakes are a bit less simple. If you win, you'll get my rarest card and two locator cards. But you won't get your friend back."

"And if you win?"

"If I win, you can forget about the locators; all I'm playing for is the last rare card you won and that shield on your arm. I don't know why they want it, but I know they're desperate."

"If they weren't, they wouldn't have resorted to kidnapping someone to get their way." Kyle clenched his fists.

"Take it easy. You'll get her back if you lose."

"I won't lose."

"Then duel me and find out."

Kyle ground his teeth. _I hate being caught between a rock and a hard place._

**We all do.**

"Fine," he said. "Bring it on."

Only moments later, they had taken stance, their holoprojectors out and at the ready.

"In my book, the challenger goes second... so, after you," said Peter.

Kyle snorted and drew his first card. He could have rolled his eyes at the first five – _those won't really do me any good_ – but the sixth one gave him a little hope. "All right," he said, slipping that card into one of his m/t slots. "First I'll activate Pot of Greed and give myself a little more to work with."

On the field, a 3D representation of Pot of Greed appeared for a few seconds. Its ugly face grinned insanely at Peter while Kyle drew his next two cards. The college student raised his eyebrow just slightly, discarded Pot of Greed, then made his move. "I'll place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down, and end my turn there."

Peter scoffed. "Hope it's something good. I want a good duel." He drew, then offered a grim smile. "I'll also place one magic/trap face-down, and then I play Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in attack mode."

Kyle rolled his eyes. _He's insulting me at the expense of his own later injury._

**You know better than that, Kyle, or have you forgotten the effect that card possesses?**

I haven't, thank you.

"Let's draw out what you've got. Witch of the Black Forest, attack his face-down monster!"

Kyle's finger hovered over the m/t he still had face-down, but ultimately, he chose not to activate it and allowed Witch to destroy his monster.

Witch chanted a spell, and a bolt of black lightning descended upon Kyle's face-down card. The card flipped over, to reveal a diminutive elf bearing a golden staff, cowering from the attack. A moment later, the monster was gone.

"It's a shame to lose my Magician of Faith so quickly," said Kyle, "but I suppose I'll have to grin and bear it." He pulled Pot of Greed from his graveyard slot and put it back in his hand.

"That you will. That ends my turn."

"Hm." Kyle drew and inspected his new card, which he had to chuckle at a moment later. _Nice. But not just yet._ "I play Pot of Greed again." Again, the Pot of Greed hologram grinned at Peter as Kyle complied with the rules set by the card.

He considered his eight-card hand for a moment. "All right... I place two magic/traps face-down, then play Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode."

A sorcerer garbed in blue robes appeared on the field, and Kyle tried not to stare at it too much. _It reminds me of those magicians._

**Perhaps... but at least this magician is at your command.**

Kyle nodded in silent affirmation, then looked up at the field. _One face-down m/t. I'm betting it's a trap card. But it's kind of doubtful that it's there to protect his Witch. He'd want the effect, and destroying it would give the effect to him. And not attacking would only draw out a stronger monster to take out Maha Vailo._

"Maha Vailo, attack Witch of the Black Forest!"

Peter chuckled. "Falling for traps? I'd've expected better tactics from you, McCraine... but if you're looking to lose, you're doing well. Activate Magic Cylinder!"

Maha Vailo's attack was a beam of energy that lanced straight at Witch, but upon the activation of Peter's trap, a pair of gigantic purple cylinders appeared at her sides and the beam was deflected into the cylinder on the left. The cylinder on the right ejected an identical beam and fired it back at Kyle. The beam struck Kyle in the chest and forced him to stumble back.

"That's quite a hit," Peter commented, watching as Kyle's Life Points descended to 2450. "More than a third of your Life Points. You sure you want to keep going with this duel?"

"Don't say another word about surrendering," Kyle responded curtly. "You wanted a good duel, and I'm going to give you one. I'll end my turn."

Peter shrugged. "Have it your way." He drew his next card. "Hm. I place another magic/trap face-down, and then play Ryu-Kishin Powered (1600/1200) in attack mode."

A pink, gargoyle-like creature appeared on the field and snarled at Kyle's Maha Vailo.

"No point in delaying. Ryu-Kishin Powered, attack Maha Vailo."

Kyle pressed in on the m/t he'd not bothered to activate on Magician of Faith's destruction. "Not so fast. Activate Waboku."

As Ryu-Kishin Powered swiped its claws at Maha Vailo, a swarm of diminutive magicians appeared around the spellcaster and conjured a shield of light to protect it. Ryu-Kishin Powered's strike bounced against the shield, and it retreated to its original position.

Peter adopted an annoyed expression. "End turn. You're making it harder for me to beat you."

"That's the idea." Kyle drew. "I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down." He glanced back up at the field. _It's not another Magic Cylinder, those are restricted. At the worst, I'll lose Maha Vailo, and with another defender, it's an acceptable risk._ "Maha Vailo, let's try this again. Attack Witch of the Black Forest!"

Maha Vailo's energy beam lanced forth again, and this time it was not interrupted. It speared Witch and obliterated her.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to make this more difficult for yourself? You know what happens when Witch goes to the graveyard."

"Of course I know. But I scored LP damage, right?" And it was true; Peter's Life Points were lowering to 3550.

"Not as much LP damage as I'll score on you next turn." Peter rummaged through his deck, made his selection, then let the auto-shuffler on the duel disk do its work.

"That's what you think. End turn."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Its not just what I think, it's what I know." He drew his next card. "I sacrifice Ryu-Kishin Powered to play Lesser Fiend (2100/1000) in attack mode."

A bestial, four-armed creature rose to the field – but then dropped into a holographic crag that opened spontaneously beneath its feet.

Kyle's face sported a grim grin. "Trap Holes do wonders. I was counting on you picking out a monster that needed a tribute."

Peter growled. "Fine... I place one magic/trap and end my turn."

Kyle raised an eyebrow as he drew his next card. _Either he's got something, or it's a scare tactic. I'd strongly suspect the latter, else he'd probably have placed it before trying to play Lesser Fiend._ "I place one monster face-down and have Maha Vailo attack your Life Points directly."

Maha Vailo cast another energy beam, this one directed straight at Peter. The older duelist could do nothing but grimace and brace himself against the attack, thus making his Life Points fall sharply to 2000. When the beam dissipated, he grunted. "You duel tougher than I thought you would."

"Revenge for Magic Cylinder. Now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end of revenge." Kyle cast a withering look at his opponent. "And I don't feel any better about it, in case you wanted to know."

"Just finish your turn so I can make a comeback," Peter snapped.

"Suit yourself. End turn."

"About time." Peter drew, then activated one of his face-down m/t's. "This won't do me much good, occupying a space on my field, so I'll activate Pharaoh's Treasure." The corresponding hologram flipped face-up to reveal a trap card with a treasure chest in the picture.

Kyle frowned. "Never heard of that one."

"Once it's activated, it goes back into my deck face-up," Peter said. "When I draw it again, it goes directly to my graveyard. Then I get to choose any card in my graveyard – except that one, of course – and put it in my hand."

He ejected the card from his duel disk and stuck it into his deck. The auto-shuffler mixed the cards again. Kyle found himself hoping that the card didn't come up anytime soon; he didn't want to face the prospect of Magic Cylinder returning to the field.

Peter inspected his hand a moment longer, then made his decision. "I place one magic/trap face-down and then play Man-Eating Treasure Chest (1600/1000) in attack mode."

The monster could have no other description but the one made obvious by its name. It was a shell-shaped treasure chest lined with rows of metallic fangs, its bile an assortment of precious jewels and gold coins.

"Man-Eating Treasure Chest, attack Maha Vailo!"

There was no saving Kyle's monster this time; Kyle could only watch as the living jewelry container hovered forth and caught Maha Vailo between its jaws, thus making his Life Points 2400.

Peter's face cracked into a triumphant grin. "Ha. End turn."

"I wouldn't get so jubilant if I were you," Kyle said, as he drew. "Your Life Points are lower than mine, even after that attack."

"A situation that'll be remedied soon enough. Your move."

"Yes, it is. And for it, I place one magic/trap and one monster face-down, then end my turn."

"Good." Peter drew, glanced at the field, raised his eyebrow at the face-down m/t's on Kyle's side, then sighed. "No doubt you've got other Trap Holes at your disposal. On the other hand, I can't stand here being afraid of what you might play... otherwise you'll give me hell. So... I sacrifice Man-Eating Treasure Chest to play Dark Ruler Ha Des (2450/1600) in attack mode."

Man-Eating Treasure Chest "sank" back into the 3D card it had emerged from, and the card morphed into a blown-up form of the one Peter had announced. From that card rose a fiendish creature wearing intricately woven robes – _the resolution on that image must be pretty massive_, Kyle thought – and bearing what appeared to be a glass of wine or champagne in its left hand.

"You may like his effect, too," Peter smirked. "As long as he's face-up on the field, the effects of all your Effect monsters are negated when destroyed by Fiend-Type monsters. And don't you worry, I've got plenty of those."

_He's been playing Fiends left and right, of course he's got plenty of them._

"Dark Ruler Ha Des, attack the monster on the right!"

Kyle couldn't help but be at least slightly amused by Dark Ruler Ha Des's attack; the Duel Monster raised its wine glass, as if in a toast, and then violently tossed its contents on the card Peter had targeted.

It became quickly apparent to Kyle that the holographic liquid wasn't wine, as it burned through the card and put gaping holes through it before it dissipated on its own. At the last instant, the monster was revealed to be Kotodama (0/1600), and the greenish fairy emitted a truncated shriek as it vanished.

Peter looked on in grim satisfaction. "And it'll only get better. For the moment, that ends my turn."

Kyle pursed his lips and blew his breath out his nose as he drew. He raised an eyebrow at the card. _Hmm. You've done me well before. I'll give you the chance to do it again in a few moments._ "I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Peter drew and chuckled. "Your defenses won't last you forever."

"Maybe not, but they'll last me a while, at least. Until the time comes to attack. Won't that be pleasant."

"I'm sure. I place one magic/trap face-down. Dark Ruler Ha Des, attack the center monster!"

Dark Ruler Ha Des again tossed the contents of his wine glass – which had spontaneously returned – on Kyle's monster, which revealed itself to be...

"The Unhappy Maiden (0/100)," Kyle said. He gave a small smile. "Maybe her effect is negated, but on the other hand, your Battle Phase is pretty much overwith, anyway."

"True. Your move."

Kyle drew. _Hmm. You'll come in handy, too. For the moment, though..._ "I flip Magician of Faith (300/400) into attack mode to make use of her effect."

"Pot of Greed again?" Peter snorted. "Might want to start showing a little more creativity in your strategy, McCraine. Someone might think you don't have the cards you want and decided to get sloppy enough to leave your Magician defenseless."

"In case you hadn't noticed, I've got three magic/traps lined up and ready for action," Kyle retorted. "For now, you can talk to the Pot, 'cause the player don't wanna hear it."

With that, he played Pot of Greed a third time and drew his next two cards. _Goody. I'll need both of these. For the moment, though, let's see how well I manage with this play..._ "I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down, then end my turn."

Peter laughed. "That's it? That's all you've got?"

"I don't see you playing any better."

"Oh, trust me, it gets better." Peter drew, and cocked his head at the card. "Think I'll hang on to this one for the time being."

"Aw, c'mon, don't keep it a secret," Kyle mocked. "I'd love to know!"

"Oh, no, you wouldn't. So forget about it."

Kyle shook his head. "Nah, I don't feel like forgetting about it. So I activate the trap card The Eye Of Truth."

One of Kyle's m/t cards flipped face-up and revealed a hieroglyphic eye that looked strangely akin to the Eye of Horus. The iris glowed red and stared intently at Peter.

Peter only laughed. "Okay, then, if you're so determined to see my hand..." He held up the two cards in his possession for Kyle to see, and announced for clarification, "What I've got is Lesser Fiend and Soul Release."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. _Soul Release wouldn't do a whole lot of good against me right now, not with what I've got in my graveyard. And at this point, there's no way I can pull them back to the field or my hand. Wonder what he's got planned._

**_I think the more pertinent concern is how to prevent his Life Points from increasing because of your trap card. As long as he keeps Soul Release in his hand, you are only helping him build up his chances against you._**

I know. Hopefully he'll either play it or a Mystical Space Typhoon will end up in my hand soon.

"For the moment, I think I'll hang on to both of them," Peter said. "Dark Ruler Ha Des, attack Magician of Faith!"

Kyle activated another face-down m/t. "You're too eager. Activate Waboku."

Another shield of light appeared, this time protecting Magician of Faith from the acidic contents of Dark Ruler's wine glass.

Peter rolled his eyes. "My friend, you have no imagination. Just the same cards, over and over again."

"Well, it works, doesn't it?"

The elder duelist snorted. "End turn."

Kyle drew his next card, and his move was swift. "First I flip Penguin Soldier (750/500), to activate its effect and return both it and Dark Ruler Ha Des to our respective hands."

Peter groaned as he removed Dark Ruler from the field. Kyle nodded in grim satisfaction. "It may not make the problem go away permanently, but it'll be less of a pain in my side. Next I play my own Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in attack mode..."

A Witch identical to the one Peter had played materialized next to the holographic Magician of Faith.

"...and switch Magician of Faith to defense mode. No sense in leaving myself open."

Magician knelt down and laid her staff across her lap.

"Witch of the Black Forest, attack his Life Points!"

The same black lightning that had wreathed around Kyle's first Magician of Faith now bolted down and wrapped about Peter. The fiend-slinging duelist growled under the attack, and looked no more pleased when it was finished – nor could he be, after his Life Points had fallen to 900.

"That'll end my turn," Kyle announced.

"Good." Peter drew, and his Life Points increased by 1000, as per The Eye Of Truth's effect. He stared at the top of his deck for a moment, and Kyle couldn't help but crane his neck in curiosity.

"Hey, McCraine," Peter called out, "you might like to know that Pharaoh's Treasure is next up."

_Oh, great..._

"And by the way, the card I just drew is Snatch Steal." Peter smirked. "Thought you'd like to know."

Kyle blinked. _Snatch Steal... equips to an opposing monster, brings it to his own field, and keeps it as long as it's equipped..._

"Come to think of it, I'll use that right now." Peter slipped the card into one of his empty m/t slots. "Activate Snatch Steal on Magician of Faith!"

On the field appeared the image of a muscular soldier that lumbered to Kyle's side of the field. His bulky arms rocketed forth and grabbed hold of Magician of Faith, which briefly struggled under their grasp.

Magician of Faith was dragged to Peter's side of the field. The elder duelist allowed a small smile. "Since Snatch Steal causes you to gain a thousand Life Points every turn I keep it in play, it wouldn't do me much good to hang on to this monster for long. So I sacrifice Magician of Faith to place a monster face-down."

Kyle snorted as he discarded Magician to the graveyard. _He's got to have put Dark Ruler back into play. Must be afraid of my m/t's, and he ought to be. But both Lesser Fiend and Dark Ruler have a much lower defense than attack. That's a weakness common to a lot of Fiend-Types. I can use that to my advantage._

"That ends my turn."

Kyle drew, and inwardly winced at the card. _Not good enough. And every turn I do nothing, his Life Points get higher. Meanwhile, he's going to draw that Pharaoh's Treasure card next turn, and then things will only get worse._


	12. Demons Within II

_A/N: Part 2 of Kyle vs. Peter, the first of the three duelists "assigned" to face off against Kyle in the hopes of obtaining the Millennium Shield._

Mira: Suspense is what I like to think I do best at. In the meantime, glad you're enjoying the duel, and have fun with this second part. (That goes for everyone else, too!)

-------

Kyle's LP – 2400

Peter's LP – 1900

--

Kyle looked from his hand to the field, and back._ I'd better least try to draw him out a little._ "I place one monster face-down and switch Witch of the Black Forest to defense mode, and end my turn there."

Peter drew his Pharaoh's Treasure trap card, and by Kyle's Eye of Truth trap, his Life Points rose to 2900. He grinned. "Watch closely, McCraine." He placed the card in his graveyard, then selected another card from the graveyard and put it in his hand.

"The Eye Of Truth demands I know what it is," Kyle commented.

"That it does. And the card I selected is Magic Cylinder."

Kyle closed his eyes and emitted a small sigh. _Not what I needed._

"To follow that up, I'll place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

_It's Magic Cylinder he put face-down. Now I can't afford to attack. I'm just going to have to wait for something to turn the tide._ Kyle drew his next card. _This might be good for later on. For now..._ "I flip Penguin Soldier (750/500) to again return both it and your face-down monster to our hands."

"That's getting on my nerves," Peter noted, as he retrieved his card from the field.

"It's meant to. Then I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Peter drew and revealed his Masked Sorcerer to Kyle as his Life Points once more increased, this time to 3900. "I'm not going to let you keep using that Soldier's effect. So I'll play Masked Sorcerer (900/1400) in attack mode."

An image of a pink-robed magician wearing a metal mask appeared on the field. It stared at the opposing field intently through the single eye hole of his mask.

"Masked Sorcerer, attack the face-down monster on the right!"

Masked Sorcerer's way of attacking was to swing a small pendulum between his fingers; a streak of energy boiled from the pendulum's iris and washed over the face-down card. The card revealed itself to be Penguin Soldier, and it shattered under the attack.

"Shame," Kyle said. "Masked Sorcerer returns to your hand."

"An acceptable loss. End turn."

Kyle drew. _Gonna have to face the music sooner or later._ "I play Crass Clown (1350/1400) in attack mode and switch Witch of the Black Forest back to attack mode."

Both of the announced Duel Monsters looked more than ready for battle.

"Witch of the Black Forest, attack his Life Points!"

Peter snorted as the black lightning cascaded down on him, making his Life Points 2800. "I don't care about that... it's just gonna come back to me next turn."

"Not all of it."

"A hundred Life Points? Big deal."

"Sometimes a hundred points is all the difference. Crass Clown, attack his Life Points!"

"Ah-ah. Activate Magic Cylinder."

Crass Clown's attack was a hurling of its scythe, but when Magic Cylinder activated, the scythe shot into the cylinder on the left and came out the one on the right. It struck Kyle and forced him to stumble back. His Life Points descended to 1050.

Peter waved a scolding finger. "That's what you get for being too hasty. You're barely even hanging on to a thousand."

"On the other hand, you've got nothing to protect your Life Points now. Protecting my LP wasn't the point; taking out your protection was."

"Protection of my LP is virtually guaranteed with that thing on the field." Peter pointed at The Eye Of Truth. "Hack away all you like, you're the one who's giving me the LP in the first place. Stroke of genius."

"Whatever. End turn."

Peter chuckled as he drew his next card, and his LP jumped to 3800. "So belligerent."

"I learn from the best."

"Indeed." Peter revealed the card he'd just drawn; Banisher of the Light, a decent monster with a nasty effect when used properly. "I place one monster face-down, and then play Soul Release in order to remove five cards in your graveyard from the game."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. _Finally. I was getting tired of him hanging onto it._

"Remove all monsters in your graveyard except Unhappy Maiden from the game."

Kyle obeyed.

"And then, I activate the trap card Graverobber's Retribution."

Kyle's eyes widened. He knew what that card did. _For every monster I've got removed from the game, Graverobber's Retribution deals 100 direct damage to my LP!_ "That's spiteful. You can't win by beatdown, so you're going to wear my LP down by other means?"

"You've got it. And hey, it works, right?"

"Only when your next turn comes. I'll take it out before you can destroy my LP."

"Yeah, right. I'll end my turn there and watch the sparks fly."

"You want to see sparks? I'll give you sparks." Kyle drew. _Damn. I'd been hoping to save this one... but if I do, I can't save myself._ "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Graverobber's Retribution."

Peter glared. "Trying to ruin my fun, are you?"

"No, just trying to win. And to that end, I'll switch Crass Clown to defense mode, and end my turn." _His face-down is Banisher of the Light, and Banisher has a stronger defense than any attack power I've got right now, but when Crass Clown switches from defense to attack, it sends one monster back to its owner's hand. I can use that to my advantage and try to get the lead back, as long as he doesn't draw any new magic cards._

Peter scowled as he drew his next card. "I know what you're thinking, McCraine. Trust me, it's not going to work. And let me show you why... I just drew Cyber Jar." He showed the card to Kyle from across the field, and Kyle's contact-enhanced eyes saw that it was, indeed, what he said it was.

_Oh, great_, he thought. _That's just the card he needs to turn everything to his advantage, as far as the monster field's concerned. And if he's got another Retribution in his deck – something I wouldn't doubt – I may get screwed over._

**_That is not your only concern, Kyle. Project into future turns. Your Crass Clown cannot return a monster to his hand every one turn – only once every two. Eventually, he will use the effect of his Cyber Jar, whether you wish him to or not. If he turns Banisher of the Light face-up before turning Cyber Jar, the effect of Banisher will apply to every monster on the field and your monsters will be removed from the game... allowing for more targets in his strategy, should it arise again._**

Not only that, but I'll lose Witch's effect; I can't use it if she's RFG'ed from the field. Somehow he doesn't strike me as the type to give up on a strategy so easily, even when it's not going his way. You may very well be right.

"For the moment," Peter continued, "I think I'll place one monster face-down and end my turn."

_I need to get rid of the threat of Banisher's effect._ Kyle drew. _Eh, I need this one to stick around. No playing you to the field this turn. But I need something to go out._ "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then I switch Crass Clown to attack mode."

Peter smirked. "So what? Even if Cyber Jar goes back to my hand–"

"Not aiming for Cyber Jar. My target is your first face-down."

Peter blinked, but returned the other face-down to his hand. "What're you driving at?"

"Watch and learn. Crass Clown," Kyle ordered, "attack his face-down monster!"

Crass Clown's scythe hacked into the face-down card, and above the card appeared the infamous shape of the mechanical Cyber Jar (900/900). It grinned eerily at Kyle and his monsters before disappearing in a shower of sparks.

"And now comes the effect we all know and hate," Kyle said, as he discarded his three monsters – Crass Clown, Witch of the Black Forest, and his face-down Kiseitai (300/800) – to the graveyard. He transferred his hand's cards to his left hand, then pulled the next five cards from the top of his deck with his right. He looked up at Peter and announced his "prizes", as was required by Cyber Jar. "Vorse Raider (1900/1200), which'll go in attack mode; Spirit of the Harp (800/2000), which'll go to defense; Millennium Golem; Mystical Elf (800/2000), also to defense; and Negate Attack."

Peter then announced his own cards: "Fiend Comedian; Earthbound Spirit (500/2000), which goes to defense; Minor Goblin Official; Different Dimension Capsule; and Reasoning."

_Eh. His Earthbound Spirit's gonna keep his LP safe, for the moment, and Minor Goblin Official will eventually screw me over if I don't do something about it. Damn his LP beatdown traps. Hope I draw something good in the next couple turns._ "I also get Witch of the Black Forest's effect." Kyle picked through his deck and made his selection. "Then I'll end my turn, and I'll discard Negate Attack and Aqua Madoor to maintain the 6-card hand limit."

"Eh, that's a bit too flashy for my tastes, announcing it like that," Peter drawled, as he drew. "Just say you're discarding Negate Attack and Aqua Madoor and get it overwith. I can see from here how many cards you've got."

"Good for you," Kyle retorted. "It's your move."

"Yep, sure is. And I just drew Monster Reborn." Peter narrowed his eyes at Kyle and smirked as his LP again jumped, this time to 4800. "Shame your Eye Of Truth doesn't give me a thousand LP for each magic card in my hand... but then again, a thousand per turn is a nice healthy bonus."

"Bah."

Peter made his move. "I'll sacrifice my face-down Earthbound Spirit in order to play Lesser Fiend (2100/1000)."

Kyle had no choice. "Activate Trap Hole."

The scene was almost identical to the one that had already played out; the four-armed beast fell into a holographic chasm that sealed as soon as the monster was gone.

Peter allowed a small grin. "Come on, McCraine, I told you I had Monster Reborn. Now I'm going to put it to use. Activate Monster Reborn on Lesser Fiend!"

The creature that had just a moment before been destroyed emerged from the face of the blown-up card on the field, and glared at Kyle's field. Kyle fantasized that perhaps Lesser Fiend was irritated for not being able to have its chance before.

"Just looking to clear your hand of magic cards... and make things difficult for you," Kyle answered. "That's the whole point."

"Want my hand clear of magic cards? Well, here's a good place to start." Peter placed another of his magic cards in his duel disk and pressed in to activate it. "Activate Reasoning."

Kyle chewed on the inside of his cheek. _Hm. Okay. He's been playing Fiend-type monsters this entire time... and most Fiend-types I've seen are either level 2 or level 4. Makes me wonder why he's even got that card in his deck, unless he was looking to use it for Dark Ruler or Lesser Fiend and didn't get the chance. Still, it behooves me to get this right..._

"Level 4," Kyle announced.

Peter began to pull cards off the top of his deck, revealing each as he went. "Needle Wall... goes to the graveyard... Fiend Comedian, also to the graveyard..."

At the third one, a grin spread across his face. A grin that Kyle didn't like at all.

"Want to know what they gave me?" Peter asked. He flicked the card lightly with his finger. "This is it. Used to be my father's. Until Seto Kaiba took it away from him."

Kyle's eyes widened. _Seto Kaiba? That means–_

"I see the look in your eyes, McCraine," Peter chuckled. "You know what this is, I can tell. So I may as well just get rid of the suspense. The monster is level 8, so here it comes; I play Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode!"

The hologram that Kyle had come to know and hate appeared on the field... the monster was larger on this field than it had been on the dueling platforms of previous days. Meant to be intimidating.

Kyle's nostrils flared in anger. "That card was stolen."

"Perhaps. But as you know, finders keepers."

"Not for long. There can't be any card in your deck rarer than that one."

"That's true, there isn't, and it's the card I've put up for grabs. More by Battle City rules than anything else, but at this point, I'd put it up even if there weren't any additional stakes involved."

"You wouldn't have earlier. And by the end of this duel, you'll regret the rule."

"I'm sure," Peter snorted. "After I beat you, I'll start down my true path. And this is the monster that'll bring me the victory I need."

"If it's victory you want, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon isn't going to be what guarantees it, I can tell you that right now. And using it to take revenge on someone won't make the pain go away."

Peter scowled. "You said that already. It's getting tiresome. So's my wait to do what I have to. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Vorse Raider and win the duel for me!"

_With only 1050 Life Points, Blue-Eyes's attack would destroy me along with Vorse Raider. But that's not about to happen._ Kyle pushed in on one of his m/t's and allowed a grim smile. "Activate Mirror Force."

Peter's eyes widened. "No way!"

Blue-Eyes's mouth yawned open even as the trap card on Kyle's field activated, and from that mouth boiled a stream of white energy. The energy struck the trap and bounced straight back at Blue-Eyes, as well as Lesser Fiend.

Kyle stared resolutely as Blue-Eyes and Lesser Fiend were both destroyed. His voice was firm when the dust settled. "Not even Blue-Eyes can stand up to Mirror Force. I told you it won't guarantee you victory. Why did you even go along with these people? Do you realize how twisted they are?"

Peter stared at the ground and mumbled, "What should I care? I told you, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. It gave my life meaning."

"You don't need meaning from a Duel Monsters card. Not even one as powerful or as rare as Blue-Eyes."

Peter snorted softly. "You still don't understand. This isn't a game, it's a matter of life and death."

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare tell me I don't understand _that_."

"Look, I don't care what value that metal slab on your arm has, I just want to get to the light at the end of the tunnel."

"And if you don't?"

"I'll... I'll find another way," he said, though his voice lost some of its power. "Blue-Eyes was my best bet at finding it... but if I fail, my life won't have meaning anymore."

Kyle scoffed. "What possible difference can one Duel Monster – even Blue-Eyes – make in determining what meaning your life has?"

Peter sneered. "I don't care about the card itself. But if I can lure someone by letting them know I have it..."

_He's hiding something._

**Indeed.**

"You're not going to have Blue-Eyes long enough for your quarry to find out," Kyle challenged.

"So... you figured it out, then?" Peter's tone was more of annoyance than anger.

"Figured what out? Who you're looking for? No, and quite honestly, I don't care who it is, either. It's got nothing to do with me." Kyle sighed. "Are you even _trying_ to find another way out of this hole you've dug for yourself?"

"It's too late to find anything else worth living for, outside of this."

"Yet you said it yourself – if you fail, your life won't have meaning anymore anyway. You're caught between a rock and a hard place, but only because you're forcing yourself to be."

"Forcing?" Peter growled. "What would you know about it? Look at you, with all your friends and dueling buddies, friendly competition and all that. What about people like me? Who had everything and lost it because of something so... so _idiotic_ as a _card game_?"

Kyle scowled. "I've been where you are. I got out. But as to 'people like you'... what the hell are you talking about?"

"Look, my father was a great man once. He supported me since I was five years old. He dabbled a little bit in the game, only as a hobby. Then he got fired. He got depressed and tried to find another job. Eventually he did, but he got obsessive over his cards, to the point of disturbing. It worried me, but I was in college at the time, so there wasn't much I could do about it. While I was there, I met the perfect woman. We fell in love almost at first sight... got engaged.

"Almost as soon as my father had the chance to meet her, he quit the new job, which made me rather curious, but I didn't ask. We were at a sidewalk café when it happened... she was also into the game somewhat, so they were playing a friendly duel. There I was, watching as the two most important people in my life bonded... then there was a bang, like someone had taken a sledgehammer to a brick. Once, then twice." Peter's eyes grew distant, and Kyle saw that he was becoming lost in the memory. He let the man continue.

"I can't remember a lot. Don't know if I want to. But what I can't forget is seeing my fiancée, bleeding to death quite literally in my arms." His eyes snapped back to reality, and a tear dripped down his cheek. "The woman I wanted to spend the rest of my _life_ with, McCraine. Can you understand that? Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch that?"

_No... I don't_, Kyle thought.

**_I do. We watched it many times in the military, our comrades dying all around us. We could not attach ourselves to them for fear of being emotionally hurt time and time again._**

Smart.

"I pray you never have to find out," Peter snapped, apparently not interested in waiting for a response. "I pray you get your friend back. Me, I never had a chance. There was a third shot; it was meant for me, but it missed. I guess the guy thought I was dead. Only caught a glimpse of him, but I'll never forget his face. I know he's a Rare Hunter, and I'm going to find him and make him pay for what he did. First, I'm going to win this duel. And I don't need Blue-Eyes, I can win without it."

"Good for you," Kyle remarked, semi-seriously. "It's still your turn."

"Yeah." Peter turned back to the cards in his hand and snorted. "Some radical alterations on the field this turn... I place one magic/trap face-down and finish out my turn."

"Hnh." Kyle drew his next card, and he idly chewed on the inside of his cheek. _He's at 4800 LP right now. It's almost strong enough, but I don't know if I should risk it. He'll still have one more turn to defend himself._

Better go for it. "I sacrifice my face-downs, Mystical Elf (800/2000) and Spirit of the Harp (800/2000), to play Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) in attack mode."

"Giving me the opportunity to activate the trap card I just played," Peter sneered. Kyle already knew what it was, but that didn't make him hate it any less. "Minor Goblin Official."

_Now every Standby Phase I have, I'll lose 500 Life Points. I've only got two Battle Phases left to win after this one, and he's got at least one more coming to him. This might be even closer than I thought._

Kyle wasn't going to be stopped by that, though. "Vorse Raider, attack his Life Points!"

The beast-warrior charged forth with its brutal axe and hacked at Peter. Peter stumbled back from the hit and glowered at Vorse Raider as his LP fell to 2900. "No worries."

"Now's a good time to start. Tri-Horned Dragon, attack!"

Tri-Horned stalked forward and slashed at Peter with its massive, swiping claws. Peter was thrown back and to the ground. He growled as he got to his feet. "Nah, still no worries."

"My Eye Of Truth isn't doing much favors for you now," Kyle noted. "Not with these monsters."

"I don't even need it."

"With 50 Life Points left, I'd say you should appreciate all you can get. End turn."

"Doesn't matter, you'll be as low as I am in a couple turns." He drew his next card – because he had a magic card already in his hand, his LP jumped up to 1050 – and grinned. "Or this turn." He turned the card around, as per Eye Of Truth's effect, and revealed it to Kyle.

Kyle's eyes widened. "Damn!"

Peter laughed. "You got that right. And I'll put it to use right now. Activate Dark Hole!"

A great, sweeping cloud of darkness overtook the field, and Kyle's Vorse Raider and Tri-Horned Dragon were pulled into the center of it, where they disappeared.

"You won't get the chance to enact any retribution on me before your next turn, either," said Peter, "because I replay Masked Sorcerer (900/1400) in attack mode. I assume you recall him."

"Vividly," Kyle answered. "But if you insist on getting eager, I'll have to put the last of my resources at my disposal..." He pushed the button for the one remaining m/t he had face-down. "...and activate Ultimate Offering."

Peter snorted. "You're giving up another 500 Life Points? You actually think you can afford that?"

"Sure do. I've got 1050, right? Gives me one more Battle Phase to work with." Kyle selected a card from his hand. "I'll place this face-down. And I can guarantee you Masked Sorcerer can't punch through it."

Peter cocked his head. "Hm. Interesting challenge you're proposing. But I'll concede that Masked Sorcerer probably wouldn't be able to hold his own... so..." He grinned. "I'll put Ultimate Offering to use, as its effect applies to either player. And I'll sacrifice 500 Life Points, as well as Masked Sorcerer, to bring out Dark Ruler Ha Des (2450/1600) in attack mode."

The now-infamous acid-sipping creature reappeared on the field and sneered disdainfully at Kyle's face-down card, as Peter's Life Points became equal with Kyle's at 550.

"I may be taking a big chance here, but on the other hand, I've got nothing else to lose," Peter said. "Dark Ruler Ha Des, attack his monster!"

Dark Ruler's wine glass contents splashed across the face-down, to reveal Kyle's Muka Muka (600/300) chittering angrily just before shattering.

_Five cards in my hand translates to only 1500 additional defense points for Muka Muka... Masked Sorcerer couldn't do it, but Dark Ruler could._

**And did.**

Thank you for noticing.

"That'll end my turn," Peter declared. "You'd best make the most of yours, because it's the last one you've got."

Kyle breathed deeply. _This looks pretty hopeless. As soon as I draw, I'll lose another 500 Life Points because of that damn Goblin Official. 50 Life Points is skin-of-the-teeth._

You still have a chance to win, Kyle. He told you to make the most of your turn, and if your opponent tells you that, then you know that is your only option remaining. Draw your next card and make the most of it.

Kyle sighed and pulled the next card from the top of his deck.

He barely even noticed his Life Points dropping; he simply stared at the card for several moments.

"What?" Peter grunted. "I don't have all day, you know."

Kyle's eyes flicked back up to his opponent.

An evil smirk passed across his face.

"This duel wasn't even close," he said.

Peter's eyes narrowed. "What're you talking about?"

"See for yourself," Kyle responded. He slipped the card he'd just drawn into one of his open m/t spaces, to reveal–

"Monster Reborn!" Peter gasped. "How could you possibly have gotten that when the duel's so close?"

"I've got a lucky deck," the younger duelist answered, his grin spreading. "And the monster I'm reviving is Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Peter paled. "And it's just strong enough to take out Dark Ruler and my Life Points..."

"Bingo." Kyle stared resolutely into the eyes of his opponent as the monstrous dragon emerged from the Monster Reborn card on the field. "Poetic justice. The card isn't even mine, yet because I'm going to use it, I'm going to win it."

"Don't do it, McCraine," Peter uttered. "I'll die if you do."

"You'll die if I don't," Kyle snapped. "And it'll be a far worse death. If you murder your father's killer, you won't see your father or your fiancée. You'll burn. The killer will get his just desserts when his time comes. But this is neither the time nor the place."

Peter bowed his head. The tone of Kyle's voice brooked no argument; he was defeated, and they both knew it.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack!"

The dragon's mouth stretched open and loosed a streak of energy at Dark Ruler Ha Des. The fiend crumbled under the attack... as did Peter's Life Points.

Peter let out a heavy sigh, slumped to one knee in defeat, and punched the ground once in frustration. "Damn..."

Kyle retrieved his holoprojectors and then approached Peter. "C'mon. To your feet, man. You got up once before."

"Don't know if I can do it again," Peter muttered. "I don't want to live this way, losing everything just as soon as things begin to work out for me. That's no way to live."

"No, it isn't," Kyle agreed. "But there's got to be something you'd find worth living for."

Peter shrugged dismally, but nevertheless stood back up.

"What's your field of study?" Kyle asked.

His opponent blinked in surprise at the question. "Law, actually."

"So use it. Become a lawyer. Make sure scumbags like these get punished for what they do. Go through channels. Do it the right way... don't take matters into your own hands out of personal vengeance." Kyle crossed his arms. "Represent the vengeance of all those who feel the same pain you do. Because sure enough, there's plenty of those people out there, wanting someone to do just that for them."

"Like you?"

"The jury's out on that, if you'll pardon the expression. I haven't lost anyone yet. I might, but I haven't yet."

"Then I'd best leave you to make sure your friend stays safe," replied Peter. "And you'd better take these along with you."

Kyle raised an eyebrow at what Peter was offering – his outstretched palm held two locator cards, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and a Reasoning magic card. "What's with the Reasoning?"

"You might need it. I know you're familiar with its effect but just in case you don't have easy access to one..." Peter shrugged. "It can't hurt. And it just might make a duel go your way when you've got nothing left."

**_Take it, Kyle, we both know you do not have one in your deck._**

Kyle reached out and took the four offered cards. "Thank you," he said.

Peter nodded once, and then he collected his holoprojectors and slipped into the sidewalk traffic.

-------

__

Important Note: Peter Ward is the property of my good friend Star Wolf333, who created him for the purposes of this story. Wolf will be continuing Peter's adventures (and misadventures) in his spinoff fic, **Justice's Sword**, slated to come out soon after the posting of this chapter. Thanks to Wolf for creating a great character to borrow, and good luck to him in his future writings on Peter.


	13. Ritual Sacrifice I

_A/N: Chapter 13 is here! Enjoy._

Mira: Glad you're enjoying the dueling so far. So here's another one for you!

-------

Kyle scanned the sidewalks on each side of the road he trod, trying desperately to find some sign of the people he was told to battle. _Just come out, you cowards, and get this overwith!_ he thought miserably. _I need to know that she'll be all right!_

**_Be patient, Kyle_**, said Theoris.

_How can you expect me to be patient when the one person I care about is in danger?_

**She may not be in nearly as much danger as you believe, Kyle. The magicians are using her as bait. You and I both know that. They may not hurt her as long as they still have you to worry about.**

If they do anything to her, I swear I'll rip out their intestines through their nostrils and feed them straight back...

**Anger will only make you lose focus. Calm yourself. Then you will see that it is rather simple to comply with the demands of the magicians.**

They've got to have a catch behind all this. They've got to be covering their butts somehow.

**_No doubt. Perhaps you will find out what that insurance is._**

From what you've told me, I think we can pretty much count on it. Kyle walked quickly, but he didn't run. _I'm fast enough that if one of those duelists tries to get to me from behind, they may not reach me._

As it turned out, he had less to worry about behind him and more to worry about in front. Since he was looking more to his right and left to try to find a duelist that might be one of the three he was looking for, he was paying almost no attention to what was directly in his path.

The next thing he knew, he found himself falling, face-first, on top of a teenage brunette. He just barely stopped his head from smacking against hers, and he desperately tried to come up with some kind of apology.

The girl looked up at him and smiled awkwardly. "I don't think I've known anyone to be so forward."

_Oh, cripes_, Kyle thought, as he pushed himself up and off of her. "Sorry... dope that I am, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Obviously," she responded, extending a hand up to him. He took her wrist and pulled her to her feet. She smoothed out her clothes and brushed some stray dust off her pants. "Handsome guys usually stay away from me."

Kyle blinked, unsure of how to respond. He suddenly felt an urge to avert his eyes from her gaze, and that was when he noticed the duel disk on her left arm. He frowned and glanced back up at her. "You're a duelist?"  
"I wouldn't be in Battle City otherwise," she responded wryly. She tucked a lock of long, unruly brown hair behind her ear. "And you wouldn't be here, either, I think, if you weren't a duelist."

"True enough," he responded. "But if you'll excuse me, I have to be going..."

She laughed. "What's the rush?"

"Looking for a duelist."

"There's one standing right in front of you," she huffed, "in case you hadn't noticed."

"One in particular," Kyle responded, stepping around her and continuing up the street. "Or three?"

That made Kyle stop dead in his tracks.

The girl stepped up to his back and leaned forward, so that her mouth was right next to his ear. "Trust me... I wish I could help you... but I'm here to stop you."

Kyle slowly turned around as she pulled away from him. A mottling of emotions was evident on his face, the most prevalent ones being shock and disgust.

The girl took several steps backward and looked at his with an apologetic expression.

"Who are you?" Kyle uttered.

"My name is Samantha Cross. And I hereby challenge you, Kyle McCraine, to a duel."

"The stakes?" Kyle asked.

"The rarest card in my deck, if you win. If I win, that shield and Sanga of the Thunder. And you'll get your friend back."

"Accepted."

Four holographic projectors shot out to form the corners of an otherwise invisible square of a field on the empty street. The radio transmitters on the duel disks themselves made contact with each other and the orbiting KaibaCorp satellites.

The sections of their duel disks locked together and formed the miniature versions of the fields they would use, and their life point counters activated and set themselves at the default 4000.

"You challenged me," said Kyle, drawing his first five cards, "so I'll make the first move."

He drew his first card, and couldn't help but mentally roll his eyes. He didn't dare make any physical move, for fear of his opponent interpreting it, but he was annoyed at the hand he currently had. _This isn't going to do me any good for defense this turn._

**_You can stop an attack for next turn._**

_Yeah, yeah..._ "I place four magic/trap cards face-down and end my turn."

Samantha narrowed her eyes as she drew her first card. "No defense? Maybe you're hiding something."

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be playing face-down," Kyle retorted.

"Well, then, I'll just have to draw you out." She slipped a magic card into one of the open slots of her disk. "I activate the ritual magic card, Resurrection of Chakra."

**_A ritual monster on her first turn? How is that possible?_**

Anything's possible... but the odds should have been against her on that one...

"And then I tribute Crab Turtle (2550/2500) from my hand..."

A fleeting hologram of her Crab Turtle appeared on the field, but was just as quickly removed.

Kyle's eyes widened. _Crab Turtle's a ritual monster, too... is this her strategy?_

"... to play Chakra (2450/2000) in attack mode."

Suddenly, Kyle found himself confronted by a hovering, horrific, one-eyed creature that looked as if it had lived a previous life as a totem for the depths of the underworld. The cry it emitted only seemed to corroborate that. It was covered in pulsating red flesh and razored bone-claws, and its single, throbbing eye seemed to stare directly at Kyle.

"Don't worry, Kyle," Samantha said. Her tone was almost sympathetic... as if she somehow understood Kyle's plight. "I don't think they have any reason to hurt your friend. Once they have what they want, they've got no reason to keep her. And this duel will be over soon enough."

"What do you care?" Kyle snapped. "You're just here to get in my way. And the sooner you're out of my way, the better. Are you going to attack or not?"

She sighed, almost as if in disappointment. Her voice had a depth of sadness to it. "Kyle, if you understood, you would know that I know what you're going through." Her voice hardened after a moment of silence. "But as for the attack, may as well. Chakra, attack his Life Points!"

Chakra began to swivel in midair, and spun the spear-like projectile at the bottom of its form at Kyle.

Kyle pushed in one of the cards on his magic/trap field, activating it. "Never let someone bait you like that, Samantha. Activate Negate Attack!"

A swirling vortex of dark clouds appeared on Kyle's side of the field and engulfed Chakra. It turned into a tornado, and swept Chakra back to Samantha's side.

Samantha snorted. "Going to prolong the inevitable, are you? Fine, I'll place one more card face-down and end my turn."

Kyle ground his teeth as he drew his next card. _This'll do._ "I place one monster face-down on the field, and then I activate the magic card Raigeki."

Samantha's face scrunched up, and Kyle thought he could hear her curse under her breath. He didn't worry about it too much, though; he pushed in on Raigeki's button, and the holoprojectors made it appear as though a massive lightning bolt was surging down from the sky. It wrapped about Chakra and obliterated it completely, leaving only wisps of smoke behind.

**_Those holoprojectors are nothing if not gaudy._**

I hear that. Kyle pushed in on another one of his face-down cards. "And you might enjoy this little number... Monster Reborn."

The all-too-familiar card of revival also flipped face-up on the holo-field. _It's a shame I can't bring Crab Turtle back, since it wasn't summoned properly. On the other hand..._

**_Chakra was. And is therefore susceptible to Monster Reborn. I know the rules, Kyle._**

Hey, is it my fault you can hear my obvious thought processes? "I revive Chakra," Kyle announced. The voice-recognition systems in the complex technology of the disks was all too eager to process his commands, and the holoprojectors complied with his desires by making the grotesquely hideous creature reappear on Kyle's field.

_That thing's even less attractive from the back than it is from the front!_

**_What did you expect? It is a Shadow creature. Not all of them are as beautiful as Wingweaver or Mystical Elf. You cannot appreciate monsters simply for their beauty all the time._**

Kyle ignored Theoris's retort and instead focused on the duel. _Now's as good a time as any._ He tried to avoid the creeping sense of deja vu as he declared, "Chakra, attack her Life Points!"

Again, Chakra began to spin in place, and it tilted into a diagonal position. It looked like a whirling spear, ready to lodge itself in Samantha's chest.

A moment later, it shot down and forward, striking her sternum. She was violently thrown back by the forcefields surrounding the tip of the spear, created to add to the realism of the duel. Fortunately, the forcefields were not so sharp as the spear-end appeared as though it should be.

She groaned as she got to her feet, her Life Points having rapidly dropped to 1550. The forcefields might not be sharp, but being hit by them was still not a pleasant experience, and neither was falling to your rear end in the middle of a street.

Kyle watched as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her right hand, and he frowned. _Is she crying?_

**It appears more as if she is trying to stop herself from doing so.**

She cleared her throat, and then asked, "Are you going to stand there gawking, or are you going to finish your turn?"

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "I'm done with my turn."

"Good." She drew her next card, then glanced up at Kyle. "Good thing you made use of Chakra when you did, because you're about to lose it. I activate Black Luster Ritual."

Kyle's eyes went wide again. _Black Luster Soldier?! One of the hardest ritual monsters to come across, and she's got it?_

"And then I tribute Zera the Mant (2800/2300) from my hand to accommodate the required eight level stars..."

As had been done with Crab Turtle, a hologram of the fiendish Zera the Mant appeared for a fleeting instant, and then just as quickly disappeared.

"...to play Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500) in attack mode."

A direct contrast to Chakra, Black Luster Soldier's appearance was such to make any male with a love for medieval times jealous of the dark armor he wore, not to mention the intricately carved shield and long scimitar. The hologram emitted a short grunt, as if to acknowledge the presence of enemy creatures.

"Black Luster Soldier, attack Chakra!"

Black Luster Soldier obediently charged forward and swung his jagged weapon at the demonic creature Kyle had stolen. Chakra shrieked upon the strike, then shattered into millions of shards – forcing Kyle's Life Points to fall to 3450.

**_Again... gaudy._**

Duh.

"That ends my turn," said Samantha. There was no trace of smugness about her voice, an absence which was noticeable to Kyle and Theoris.

_You'd think she'd be the least bit proud about what she just did. She knocked out some of my Life Points in the process of destroying the most powerful monster on my field._

**Perhaps she is not proud because it was her own monster she destroyed. You, of all people, should know about taking pride in your own cards.**

Or maybe she is proud and isn't showing it.

**The bottom line is that neither of us knows, and at this point, it does not really matter.**

Hear, hear. Kyle drew his next card. _Hmm. No good now. I'll save this for later._

"I flip Magician of Faith (300/400)," Kyle announced, "and activate her flip effect to move Raigeki back to my hand."

There was a pained look on Samantha's face as the realization of this maneuver hit her. _Guess she was expecting something different of my face-down... but now she knows there's nothing she could've done about it, anyway._

Kyle pulled Raigeki from his graveyard slot, and then slipped it into the magic/trap field again. "I activate Raigeki to destroy your Black Luster Soldier."

As it had been with Chakra, a great bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky – or simply the limit of the projectors' range; Kyle suddenly didn't feel so sure – and wreathed around Black Luster Soldier.

The armored Duel Monster let out an angry roar, but there was nothing he could do but simply remain in place.

The lightning incinerated him.

_Better to just blow away her LP now and not let her come up with a defense._ "Then I sacrifice Magician of Faith to play Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode."

Kyle could see Samantha grinding her teeth from across the field... but he could also see that she was activating the lone card on her magic/trap field, the one card she still had in her control.

"You should know better than that, Kyle. Activate Trap Hole."

The moment Millennium Golem appeared on the field, a holographic illusion of a massive crevice appeared beneath it and swallowed up the stone creature.

This time it was Kyle's turn to grind his teeth. "Fine, end turn." _She's right, that was a stupid mistake. Should've played him face-down._

**Her Life Points are still lower than yours, and she does not have any cards in her hand. She needs at least three to perform another ritual. That means you have at least three turns before she can summon another monster.**

Yeah, but she's sure to have other defenses at her disposal, not just Trap Holes. Losing Chakra to me was more serendipity than anything else, and she's already demonstrated that she's got monsters much more powerful than Chakra. If she revives Soldier, I'm in trouble.

Meanwhile, Samantha had already drawn. A small grin crept across her face. "Okay, then. I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards."

_This could be trouble._

Samantha pulled the next two cards off the top of her deck, and suddenly the small grin wasn't so small anymore. "I place one magic/trap face-down, then activate Monster Reborn on my Black Luster Soldier."

**_Kyle, one might hope that the next card you draw will save you..._**

Oh, you're a big help.

Black Luster Soldier reappeared on the field, as shiny and ready for battle as ever.

"Black Luster Soldier, attack Kyle's Life Points!"

Samantha's ever-feared warrior charged forth and thrust his scimitar at Kyle. Kyle flew back , skidded across the ground, and nearly struck a telephone pole with his head. He groaned; the hit had undoubtedly been more painful than Chakra's attack on her Life Points earlier. The force of the attacks were specifically designed to cause more pain the higher the attack power was.

And this one has just taken his Life Points down to 450.

He got back to his feet and spotted Samantha activating the card she'd just played face-down.

"Activate the magic card Sebek's Blessing," Samantha announced. "This fun little quick-play number increases my Life Points by the amount of Life Points I just deducted from you."

_Just what I need_, Kyle fumed as he watched her Life Points ascend to 4550. _Her Life Points are higher than when we began dueling, and now I'm just barely hanging on to what's left of mine._

**_The duel isn't over yet, Kyle. Keep playing until it is._**

"And that'll end my turn," Samantha finished.

Kyle drew his next card, his eyes clenched shut. _C'mon, deck, pull me through..._

His flicked up at Samantha, then down to the card.

"I play one monster face-down and end my turn," he announced.

Samantha sighed and gazed across the expanse. "Kyle, if you want to give up the duel, I'd understand. Then the loss wouldn't be so painful for you."

"No one ever said anything about giving up," Kyle retorted. "We're dueling to the death, here."

Those words seemed to strike Samantha. Her eyes suddenly held an emotion that Kyle couldn't immediately recognize.

She asked a question, but so quietly that Kyle couldn't hear her. He frowned. "What?"

"I said, 'Do you know?'"

"Know what?"

She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "Guess not. And how could you? Not like you knew me before today. Not like you would've cared."

His frown deepened. "What're you talking about?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Let's get on with it."

Kyle blew his breath out his nose. "It's your turn." Whatever was on her mind, she'd almost been ready to tell him about it. _Was it something I said?_

**You said "We are dueling to the death." That was when her manner changed.**

Something to do with death, then? Is her life in danger?

**Perhaps. Or perhaps it is the life of another.**

She drew, then looked up. "Black Luster Soldier, attack his face-down monster!"

Black Luster Soldier raced forward once more and hacked at the holographic representation of a face-down Duel Monsters card. His scimitar struck the card, but didn't cut it in half, as would have happened with most others. Instead, the card flipped face-up and revealed a pink, snake-like creature in the picture. The creature appeared in 3D on the field, squealed, wrapped around Black Luster Soldier, and jammed its tail into the warrior's side.

Kyle smiled grimly. "That'll bring my Life Points back up."

"Kiseitai (300/800). Gross." Samantha shook her head. "I end my turn."

Kyle drew his next card with anxiety. _What've we got? Ahh... this'll do._ "I place one monster face-down, then play Swords of Revealing Light."

Samantha could do nothing but glare at Kyle as swords conjured of pure light surrounded her and Black Luster Soldier.

_That'll keep my monsters safe, for the moment, and bring my Life Points back up at the same time. I rather like this arrangement. Kiseitai's not really worth anything in the way of a maintained defense, but..._

**_You take what you can get. Understandable._**

"And that'll end my turn," said Kyle.

Samantha drew her next card as Kyle's Life Points increased by half of her Soldier's attack points, bringing them up to 1950. She looked up at her opponent. "I'll end my turn."

Kyle drew. "I place another monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Samantha drew, and again, Kyle's Life Points increased, this time to 3450. "I play Graceful Charity."

_Of course... there's no better card for someone who needs to draw the right thing at the right time._

Samantha pulled the top three cards from her deck, inspected them a moment alongside the other two in her hand, and then made her choice. "I discard Chakra and Turtle Oath, and end my turn."

_Two turns gone. One more, and then my defenses'll be wiped out. At least my LP is still rising._

Kyle drew, then glanced at the one other card in his hand. _Hmm... how much are you worth to me in my hand, and not on the field? Not much._ He then glanced at the one he just drew. _And you, you could help me or hurt me. And with an opponent like this one, your use is vital to one of us... but which one?_

He glanced back at the one that had been in his hand. _At this point, you're a bit more valuable. To the field you go._

"I sacrifice my two face-down monsters, Muka Muka (600/300) and Mystical Elf (800/2000), to place another monster in defense mode," Kyle announced. "And then I end my turn."

A smile flickered across Samantha's face. "Must be a Labyrinth Brother. Wonder which one it could be. But I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

"What makes you think it's even a Labyrinth Brother?" Kyle asked reasonably. "I've got other monsters in my deck that need two sacrifices."

"No monster with two sacrifices has the defense rating necessary to stop Black Luster Soldier's attack. That's all that really matters at this point."

"Well, not just that." Kyle offered a grim grin and tilted his Life Point counter toward her – his score had become 4950. "Kiseitai's still powering me up. You're gonna have to really go at it to knock me back down."

"Oh, yes, that." Samantha wrinkled her nose in annoyance of the parasite wrapped around her monster. "I'm loathe to do anything about it, but I suppose it has to happen sooner or later. I play Black Luster Ritual and sacrifice the Soldier on my field in favor of the one in my hand... happily pest-free."

The hologram of the infested Soldier disappeared, to be replaced by one almost identical to its predecessor, but sans the parasite.

Kyle clenched his fist in frustration as he discarded Kiseitai. _She's gonna keep putting these high-powered monsters on the field until the cows come home! There's got to be some way to put a stop to it, but I don't have anything in my deck fast enough to stop the activation of a Magic card. And I can't Trap Hole any of her monsters, either._

**You do not need to stop her from playing the monsters. All you need to do is put them back where they came from.**

_Easier said than done, when I've got about fifty cards to go through, yet._

**Your deck has come through before. It will not fail you now, as long as you believe.**

"And that ends my turn," she finished.

The Swords of Revealing Light vanished from the field, and Kyle moved that magic card to his graveyard slot.

_This is where things are going to get interesting._

He drew his next card, and very nearly snorted in open derision. _Trap Hole?! Allrighty, Deck, if you're trying to give me an excuse to play the other one, this was about as clear a signal as I'm ever going to get._

"I'll place another monster face-down and end my turn," he announced.

Samantha eyes him, her gaze suspicious. "You've got something up your sleeve. I can tell. I know that look."

"What look?"

"Don't be coy. You're waiting for something to turn the tide." She drew. "I place two magic/traps face-down, then attack the monster you just played."

Black Luster Soldier charged forth once more and sliced at the holographic card.

The card flipped at the last instant and revealed a face made of shadow, an unholy grin, and a single, glowing red eye.

"Let's see if my Morphing Jar does anything for either of us," said Kyle. He discarded Trap Hole and drew five new cards from the top of his deck.

Samantha, on the other hand, only needed to draw five cards. She'd already placed her entire hand on the field.

Kyle almost grinned at his new cards. _This is good. This is really good._

Samantha shrugged. "It did okay for me." She pressed in one of the magic/traps she'd played earlier in the turn. "I'll activate Dark Magic Ritual from the field and sacrifice another Crab Turtle from my hand to bring out Magician of Black Chaos (2800/2600) in attack mode."

Just as Black Luster Soldier was the greatest ritual warrior to fear, Magician of Black Chaos was the greatest ritual spellcaster. The hologram that appeared on the field certainly backed up that claim. Magician's dark clothing hugged his form tightly; he held his long staff in one hand loosely, but also at the ready for any opposing monster. His yellow eyes glowed brightly, contrasting against his blue face and black garments. His arms were crossed in a display of contempt for his opponent. He hovered next to Soldier, waiting for his opportunity to attack.

_Come next turn, he'll get his chance_.

"That finishes my turn," said Samantha.

Kyle drew his next card. _Doubly handy._ "I place one magic/trap face-down and another monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

Samantha drew, her eyebrow rising. "Bolstering your defense?"

"What's it to you?"

She shrugged. "It makes little difference to me, really. Magician of Black Chaos, attack the monster he just played!"

Magician suddenly snapped out of the trance-like stare he'd fixed on Kyle, raised his staff high into the air, and leveled its business end at Kyle's second face-down monster. A blue bolt of energy emanated from the staff and snaked across the field.

Kyle pushed in the magic/trap he'd placed the previous turn. "Ah-ah. Activate Waboku."

The three-dimensional representation of the trap appeared as a crowd of white-haired magicians standing in the way of the bolt.

She shrugged again. "Fine, but I still get to see it."

"That you do. Reveal Sangan (1000/600)."

An ugly, pumpkin-shaped creature with three closed eyes appeared on the field, curled into a fetal position amongst its anorexic limbs.

Samantha chuckled. "Maybe you should've waited on that Waboku, Kyle. There are many monsters with useful effects which have an attack power of 1500 or less."

"I wouldn't be one to complain about it too much," Kyle stated. "Especially not when your opponent is depriving himself of that particular advantage."

"Who said I was complaining? But I'll end my turn there."

Kyle drew his next card. _Something makes me feel like she's holding back._

**_How do you believe she is holding back?_**

This entire time, she's been hacking away at me with both monsters and magic/traps. Suddenly, she's not using them, and she's got something waiting on her field.

**Maybe she is simply looking for the right opportunity.**

Yeah, well, if it's a Trap Hole, my face-down is screwed over. Could very well be why she didn't attack it; she's waiting for me to flip it so she can destroy it with one well-placed trap. The monsters on her field are too powerful for me to make a single error.

**_You will not know them as errors until you play the game. So play. Whatever happens is whatever happens._**

Forgive me if I take that as small comfort. "I place another magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down."

_Here goes nothing..._

"I switch Sangan to attack mode."

Sangan opened its three yellow eyes and uncurled. It raised its claws, as if to ward off its much taller, much more powerful enemies.

Samantha snorted. "Oh, please. Not even Megamorph has the strength to power Sangan up high enough to destroy either of my monsters. Don't mock me."

"And don't mock me by implying Megamorph would do me any good while my Life Points are higher than yours," Kyle retorted.

"Getting back to the point, how can you think putting Sangan in attack mode will help your case any?"

"This is how." Kyle slipped a card into one of his open magic/trap slots and activated it. "Take a look at Riryoku."

Her eyes widened.

**_You are going to cut the attack power of Black Luster Soldier in half and add that lost power to Sangan?_**

Kyle's response was to both Theoris' and Samantha's reactions. "Yep." Then, to benefit Samantha, he continued, "And I choose to call its effects on Black Luster Soldier and Sangan, respectively."

The 3D Riryoku card suddenly developed two tentacles. One glowed a blazing white, while the other was black and seemed to absorb all light cast in its direction. The black tentacle whipped across the field and wrapped around Black Luster Soldier.

The powerful warrior seemed to grow feeble, his armor and weaponry brittle and ready to shatter under a well-placed blow – his attack points had fallen to a mere 1500.

The brilliant tentacle encircled Sangan, meanwhile, and the ugly little monster appeared to grow to almost twice its size. Its thin limbs bulged with newfound muscles, and its eyes glowed with an inner power that only a card like Riryoku could have brought out as its attack grew to 2500.

Kyle spoke the words, even though to any other duelist's ear, they would have sounded utterly insane. "Sangan, attack Black Luster Soldier!"

Sangan obediently moved forward, though its method was curious, to say the least; instead of walking or floating, it rolled across the field, using the shape of its round body to its advantage. When it stopped in front of the impaired Soldier, it rose to its feet, brought one clawed fist back, and let it fly.

The fist caught Soldier squarely in the midsection, and the feared ritual monster became so much holographic broken glass.

_Pro: She loses a thousand Life Points in the process._

**_Con: The effects of Riryoku only last to the end of your turn, and you cannot switch Sangan to defense mode._**

"That ends my turn," Kyle announced, ignoring Theoris's smart remark.

Samantha snorted as she drew her next card. "My Magician could eat you alive now."

_We'll see about that._

"Hm." She looked her hand over, then shrugged. "Might as well. I activate Change of Heart on the last face-down you played."

Kyle tried very hard to not clench his eyes and fists and groan. Unfortunately for him, he failed in avoiding all three of these actions.

The second 3D face-down card on Kyle's field transferred to Samantha's side. She glanced up and saw the consternation on Kyle's face; curious, she announced, "All right, I'll flip it face-up."

Kyle managed to restrain his reaction to a quiet round of grumbling, but he clearly was not happy with what she was doing with his monster.

A moment later, it became apparent to her why that was.

"Magician of Faith?" Samantha's tone was one of surprise. "I don't know what I'd been expecting, but that wasn't it."

"Whatever," Kyle mumbled. "Gonna use her effect, or what?"

"I think I will, now that you mention it," she responded. "And I'll bring back my Change of Heart card, to use once again on your other face-down monster."

Kyle groaned loudly as his other face-down went to her side. Samantha laughed. "Come on, Kyle, you should expect the best from me."

"Not that. I expect better of myself."

"You should. I flip this one face-up, too." Samantha's smug grin only widened when the card was revealed – Sanga of the Thunder (2600/2200). "I knew it was a Labyrinth Brother. And it's the strongest one, no less."

"So go ahead and use him and just get it overwith," Kyle snapped.

Samantha's look was one of annoyance. "You know, Kyle, you're not the only one here who's impatient about all this. I'd love for this duel to be finished this instant, but as long as you put up a fight, that's not going to happen."

"I could say the same for you," Kyle barked. "But at least I'm still holding to my values, instead of doing some crazy man's work for him. Ever thought that you might be on the wrong side of this conflict?"

"I didn't take sides, Kyle. I got caught in the middle."

"Yeah, right."

Samantha's face darkened, and she spat out a curse. "Believe what you want! But _you_, of all people, ought to be able to understand what _I'm_ going through." She held up one of the five cards in her hand, its back facing Kyle. "And if you have any doubts about how determined I am, just you watch. I sacrifice both Magician of Faith and Sanga of the Thunder to play this!"

She violently slapped a monster card face-up on her duel disk.

Kyle discarded Sanga and Magician to his graveyard, frowning in confusion as her announcement rang in his mind. _I thought she used ritual monsters. Now she's playing normally? Or did she forget to use a ritual card?_

**I do not think so, Kyle... lay your eyes upon the monster she is summoning.**

Kyle did so.

His eyes widened.

"That's right, Kyle," Samantha uttered, her tone possessed of a grim finality. "This is the last Duel Monster you'll ever need to set eyes on. The Duel Monster that will save my brother."

Kyle didn't – couldn't – respond.

She shoved a finger in Sangan's direction, and shouted out her command.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500), destroy Sangan!"


	14. Ritual Sacrifice II

_A/N: And here comes part 2 of Kyle vs. Samantha in the ritual duel of the century! Enjoying it so far? I am!_

Lumen: Of course I do! It's what makes my craft so successful, after all... I make everyone itch for more while they wonder what happens next.

Mira: Good question, glad you asked. You can't summon ritual monsters the normal way, no. You have to use a corresponding ritual magic card and do it the way that card says – sacrifice monsters from your hand and/or field whose total level stars equal or exceed the level stars of the monster you're bringing out. Good to know you like it!

-------

Kyle's LP - 4950

Samantha's LP – 3550

--

If it's an advantage they wanted their cronies to have, it looks like they've got one. Now let's hope that my LP holds out against it.

**You have defeated Monica in duels before.**

She's beaten me more times than vice versa. And if the magicians picked her deck apart, who's to say they don't have other cards that belong to her?

This exchange occurred in a split instant within the minds of Kyle and Theoris. None of it changed the fact that the monster staring Kyle's Sangan down now was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, nor did it change the fact that the legendary dragon was responding to the order made by its current owner to attack the ugly, pumpkin-shaped creature.

_I'm not planning on losing this duel._

Kyle activated the last trap he'd played. "Activate Magic-Arm Shield!"

A strangely-shaped shield formed on Sangan's arm. The center opened up, to reveal a pincer-like device that reached across the field and wrapped around Magician of Black Chaos' midsection.

Sangan swung the shield around and forced Magician into Blue-Eyes' attack path.

Magician took the blast head-on and was obliterated by the attack. Kyle also lost 200 Life Points, as the Magician was in attack mode, bringing his score to 4750.

_Losing 200 is a lot better than losing 2000, as well as the last defense I've got. She'd have wiped half my Life Points out, and next turn, she most definitely would have taken me down._

Samantha groaned. "I needed that..."

Kyle suddenly became aware of what she had said to him before Blue-Eyes' attack. _Save her brother...?_

**The life of another, Kyle. I was right; it is the life of another at stake here.**

"But how?" Kyle asked aloud. "What's your brother got to do with all this?"

He saw the pain in Samantha's eyes as she responded quietly. "My brother was kidnapped by the same men who took your friend. They've threatened his death if I don't win this duel."

Her voice cracked. "Everything is at stake here, Kyle! I love my brother! I don't want him to die!"

Kyle sighed. "Look, Samantha... I don't want _anyone_ to die because of me. But I can't hand over my shield, either."

"_Why?!_" she exploded. "It's just a molding of painted brass with a couple of pretty jewels inset! There's nothing special about it!"

"If that were true, those men would have no reason to want it so badly. They could just have one made for themselves," Kyle responded. He raised his right arm, silently offering her to inspect the shield. "This has changed my life more than you could know. And if they get their hands on it... no one would want to see that happen, I can guarantee you that. It's because of this shield that you've got a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on your field right now."

"It must be nice to be able to put a piece of metal above someone's _life_," she snarled.

"Look, I've got someone at stake, too, okay?" Kyle snapped. "This duel's painful for me, too. I wish I hadn't had to go through with it. I wish none of this had ever happened. But there's no way out of it now, unless you have something in your deck that can turn this game into a draw."

She shook her head. "No... nothing."

He sighed gravely. "Then let's both hope that they're more merciful than they bill themselves to be. Otherwise one of us really is going to lose it all."

Kyle saw her shudder at his words. He had to repress the urge to do the same.

"My turn's finished," she said.

Kyle drew his next card. _Hmm..._ "I place one monster in face-down defense, then switch Sangan to defense mode, as well, and end my turn."

Samantha hastily drew her next card. "The sooner this duel's overwith, the better. I place one magic/trap face-down, and then activate Swords of Revealing Light."

Kyle blew his breath out his nose as the familiar swords surrounded him and his monsters. His face-down monster was revealed at that moment.

"Probably best I didn't attack," she chuckled. "Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) can get you some pretty decent cards."

"True, that."

"So, instead of attacking, I'll end my turn."

_What, she's providing a little saving grace?_

**Who knows what her motive is? Perhaps she simply is looking for the right time to attack. Sangan and Witch only allow you to draw cards into your hand, not place them on the field. If she gathers enough monsters to destroy them both and attack your Life Points in the same turn...**

No defense. Yeah, yeah.

Kyle drew his next card. _There's got to be a way out of this. Maybe this'll do it._ "I'll sacrifice both Sangan and Witch to place a monster face-down, and use their effects to gather two more cards into my hand."

_I think I know just the ones I want, too._ Kyle placed his sacrifical cards in his graveyard slot, then searched through his deck. _Yeah... That'll hit the spot, all right._

Samantha laughed out loud. "You've got to be kidding me! You and I both know that there's nothing in Duel Monsters that requires two sacrifices and has a defense of 3000 or more! You've just doomed yourself to a direct attack!"

"That's what you think," Kyle answered blandly. "As a follow-up, I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

**_Kyle! She is right, and you know it! Your face-down is not even one of the Labyrinth Brothers! She will attack you directly!_**

No, she won't. She doesn't have what she needs to bring another monster to the field. And I needed Witch and Sangan's effects.

**Kyle, you gave up your last defenses for one monster, and that Blue-Eyes is going to destroy it!**

Samantha drew her next card, then looked up at the field. "Kyle, even if that monster is a Labyrinth Brother, it won't stop me from attacking your Life Points for more than one turn. Its effect can only be used once during the entire duel."

"You only have one monster on the field," Kyle responded. "If it's a Labyrinth Brother, it'll stop you for two turns."

Samantha looked up at the legendary beast hovering over her field. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his face-down monster!"

Blue-Eyes' mouth yawned open again, and let loose a flood of energy at the face-down monster.

"Activate Ultimate Offering!" Kyle shouted. _I may not be able to save my face-down, but the attack activates my trap card... which is all I need to turn this thing around._

**A single trap?**

C'mon, Theoris. Have some respect for the individual cards.

Samantha's eyes hardened. She knew the ramifications of Kyle's trap. "That doesn't stop me from destroying your monster."

"True, Tri-Horned Dragon (2850/2350) is still destroyed," he replied, as Blue-Eyes' white lightning obliterated his less powerful dragon, "but I played it knowing that. All I needed was for you to attack it to activate my trap." Kyle chose three cards and placed them on his field. "I sacrifice 1500 Life Points to place three monsters in face-down defense mode."

Three new defensive monster cards appeared to take Tri-Horned Dragon's place on the field, and Kyle's LP dropped to 3250.

Her eyes narrowed. "And you can afford that kind of loss. That was your plan all along, wasn't it?"

"You're catching on."

She growled. "Fine. I'll end my turn."

Kyle drew. _Here we go. This is really starting to turn around._ "I play Mystical Space Typhoon on Swords of Revealing Light!"

A simulated vortex of energy curled around the numerous swords and shattered them like glass. Samantha growled and put her card into her graveyard slot.

"Next, I flip Magician of Faith, and bring Monster Reborn back to my hand," Kyle continued. "Which I'll use on one of your Black Luster Soldiers."

A Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500) appeared on Kyle's field, fully ready to battle.

"Then I flip Penguin Soldier (750/500), and use its effect to send both Magician of Faith and Blue-Eyes White Dragon back to our respective hands."

Samantha paled. "No!"

_You were right, Theoris. I didn't have to destroy Blue-Eyes. I just had to put it back in her hand. And with Soldier and Penguin's combined attack of 3750 on her Life Points, this should be the last turn._

"I'm sorry, Samantha, I really am," he muttered. "And I wish I could hold back. But I can't. If I do, you'll come back at me with everything you've got. So I have to do the same."

She crossed her arms and said nothing in response.

Kyle's eyes narrowed. _Why is she not upset about this? If I destroy her Life Points, she'll lose her brother to the magicians. She couldn't have gone numb all of a sudden. Not with that expression._

**She still has one last face-down card on her magic/trap field.**

It may be her trump. Kyle sighed. _But like I said... if I don't go all out, she will. I don't have a choice._

"Black Luster Soldier, attack her Life Points!"

The ornately decorated soldier charged forward to obliterate the majority of the Life Points left to her.

She pressed on the one card still on her field, and quietly uttered, "Activate Mirror Force."

Kyle resisted to get down to one knee and pound his fist into the ground. _How could I be so blind?! Of course she was going to have Mirror Force!_

The 3D representation of Mirror Force flipped face-up and fired out two lances of energy. Black Luster Soldier and Penguin Soldier were caught in the beams, and they, like so many of the monsters during this duel already, shattered into holographic shards and vanished from the field.

**_Kyle, you still have one face-down monster, and Magician of Faith in your hand. Black Luster Soldier need not be destroyed permanently._**

I've been relying on magic cards a lot, Kyle mused.

**_So has she. You play by what you have._**

"Fine. I'll place one more monster in defense mode and end my turn," Kyle said.

"Play defense until you're blue in the face, for all I care," Samantha snapped. She drew her next card.

A smile crossed her features.

"I play Dark Hole and wipe the field clean of monsters."

_Damn! Now I can't use Magician to bring back a Soldier!_ Kyle groaned and discarded Magician of Faith and his face-down Vorse Raider (1900/1200).

"That ends my turn."

Kyle drew. "I play one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Samantha pulled her next card. "I play Zera Ritual and sacrifice Blue-Eyes White Dragon to bring out Zera the Mant (2800/2300) in attack mode."

Her Blue-Eyes appeared on the field again for a fleeting moment, then disappeared in favor of the slightly weaker monster.

"Zera the Mant, attack his face-down monster!"

Zera swooped forth and slashed its razored claws through the face-down card, revealing Kyle's Crass Clown (1350/1400) just a moment before destroying it.

Kyle sighed. "Sweet sorrow."

"I end my turn," Samantha announced, ignoring the comment.

Kyle drew his next card, and nearly groaned aloud. _No good! This won't do me any favors in this duel!_

He placed the card on the field anyway. "I place one magic/trap and end my turn."

**_Perhaps your Trap Hole won't do you any good now. But perhaps she will be afraid to attack._**

Samantha drew, and wasted no time with her command. "Zera, attack Kyle's Life Points!"

Zera slashed at Kyle; he flew back and landed ignominiously on his rear as his Life Points fell from 3250 to 450. _Then again, perhaps not._

"I end my turn. You've got one more turn, Kyle," Samantha said. "You'd better make the most of it."

_With 450 Life Points. Yeah, right._ Kyle felt despair overwhelm him. _Theoris... I don't know what to do. I've got nothing left._

**_Not true. You have one turn left, just as she said. Use it._**

I don't know what else I can do!

**DRAW YOUR NEXT CARD!!**

Kyle jumped at the ferocity of Theoris' mental voice.

**_If this is the only way to get through to you, then let it be so! But I will NOT sit by and listen to you say you can do nothing when you still may have an option left! You told me to have respect for the individual cards... now you must do the same! Draw your next card, or may Ra strike you down!_**

Kyle grit his teeth and silently – silent on both the mental and physical planes – drew his next card.

His eyes narrowed.

_This is it..._

He placed the card on his duel disk. "I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Samantha pursed her lips as she drew. "Going to fight to the bitter end, are you? Well... guess it's not really fighting. Just putting up pathetic shields. Like the one on your arm. Zera, attack!"

Zera slashed at Kyle's face-down monster.

The card flipped up, and revealed an ornately painted pot, with a demonic face inside.

"Morphing Jar #1 didn't take," said Kyle, "so let's see how well Morphing Jar #2 (800/700) does."

Samantha's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Hey, don't blame me for anything. You're the one that attacked." _Now she has to put Zera back in her deck and draw until she gets another monster in her hand. And a perk is that any magic and trap cards she draws are discarded. Let's hope she doesn't have another ritual card already in her hand._

**That is not the only perk, Kyle. If her entire deck truly is comprised of ritual monsters, she will be unable to play any monster she draws without the appropriate ritual card. And meanwhile, if you draw a monster at level 4 or lower...**

It goes to the field in defense mode, and I'm safe.

As it turned out, the very next card that Kyle drew, as per Morphing Jar #2's effect, was exactly level 4. _This may do it._ He placed it face-down on the field.

Samantha ended up drawing four cards before finally getting a monster. She groaned as she discarded the other three. "My Reckless Greed trap was my next card!"

_Ha._ Kyle drew.

He looked up at Samantha's field. _Nothing. Not even a single magic/trap._

"This is the end," he said quietly. He placed the card he'd drawn. "I play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) and flip Gemini Elf (1900/900) to attack mode."

Even across the field, he could see his opponent's eyes welling up with tears.

"Please, no..." she whispered. "Don't..."

_Their combined attack makes 3750. Her Life Points are at 3550. All I need to do is attack._

But... I don't want to.

Now it comes to it. If I attack, I may as well have murdered her brother.

If I don't attack, I may as well have given everything to the magicians.

Theoris... how can I get out of this?

**You cannot.**

Kyle almost reeled from the response.

**_I am sorry, Kyle. But there are only two options. Win or lose. Those options may have been delayed throughout this duel, but now they are staring you in the face and demanding you to choose one. And you can only choose one._**

"I don't want to choose!" Kyle yelled aloud. "I don't want to cause the death of an innocent!"

"You _must_ choose!"

Kyle whirled at the new voice. He found himself facing a man in a dark blue cloak. His head was hooded; the only feature Kyle could spot was the man's overgrown white beard.

**_A magician_**, Theoris snarled.

"Either you will hand over the Millennium Shield," said the old man, "or you will end the duel and allow the boy to die. There are no other options available to you."

"And who gets to decide that?!" Kyle snapped. "You? Your clan? That miserable bunch of wannabe Rare Hunters who don't have anything better to do than obsess over something they'll never have?!"

The magician's lips curled into a sickly grin. "Call us what you wish. The decision is still yours to make."

"How am I to know that you even have her brother in your..." Kyle sneered. "...care?"

"You want proof? You shall have it." The magician gestured upward and behind both of the duelists.

Kyle and Samantha both looked.

Hanging high over the street four blocks away was a small figure. Kyle couldn't make out any features, but he could see that there seemed to be nothing holding the figure in the air. He wondered if perhaps it was a magician's power holding him up.

A voice drifted down and touched their ears. "Sammy, help me!"

"There is all the proof you need. That is indeed her brother, and I do not think you would wish to challenge the claim by seeing him fall. It is a seven hundred foot drop to the concrete – marvelous invention – and if he falls, he will not be landing on his feet."

Kyle glanced back at the magician, his face pale. "You really _would_ kill innocent people to get to my shield. You sick maniac."

"As I said, you may call us all you wish, but it is still your decision. And if you do not decide within the next ten seconds – another marvelous invention, a way to precisely measure time – he shall fall, no matter what you do."

Kyle clenched his eyes shut.

**_Kyle... I cannot help you._**

_I know._

"Kyle! Please, don't let him die! I'm begging you! Please don't!" Samantha sobbed, her voice cracking.

"Five seconds!" the magician barked.

Kyle's eyes snapped open. They landed on his weeping opponent, who had fallen to her knees... who was pleading him with her very soul laid bare.

And he made his choice.

"Mechanicalchaser and Gemini Elf, attack!"

"_NOOOO!!!_" she screamed.

The attack came, but Kyle could barely see it... could barely hear it... could barely feel anything.

He barreled forward, running straight through the holograms that attacked and destroyed the last of his opponent's Life Points.

All his intent was focused on the boy hanging over the street.

"You are too late!" the magician yelled out.

_No, I'm not!_

Kyle moved as fast as his legs would carry him. A part of his mind told him that he would never make it, that he wasn't possibly fast enough to catch the boy.

He shoved that part down to his feet and trampled it, then left it behind and moved even faster.

He could hear the boy screaming as he plunged down between the buildings... could hear the people below the boy screaming as they saw what was happening...

_They're not going to do anything about it, they don't want to break their bones catching a boy who's falling from that height, no matter what kind of rewards they'd reap for it, I have to do it because no one else will, I have to do it because no one else can..._

Kyle emitted a primal roar as he charged forward.

He refused to believe he wouldn't make it.

He simply refused to.

His entire being was focused on one thing.

_I won't let him die. Whatever power I have, let it help me do this!_

He suddenly felt as though something was being ripped away from him.

And he let himself go.

--

Everyone saw it, but their ability to comprehend precisely what they had seen was impaired because it was nothing like anything they had ever seen before. Later on, most of them would choose to deny that anything remotely miraculous or magical had happened; they would simply say that they'd seen the boy falling from the edge of a building he wasn't supposed to be atop, and was saved by a very courageous young adult.

--

The Eye of Horus adorning the Millennium Shield glowed with a brilliant, unnatural light. Kyle's arm swung out, seemingly of its own volition, to where the eye of the shield was looking up at the building to the right of the falling boy.

A brilliant golden beam streaked from the eye and struck something on the roof of that building.

Another beam streaked out toward the screaming child and covered him in a brilliant golden aura.

His fall began to slow.

And slow.

And _slow_.

Kyle leapt forward with all of his might and reached out for the boy.

His arms wrapped around a warm back and flailing legs.

He landed in a belly-flop on the ground, his momentum causing him to skid across the concrete. The pavement ground into him, scraped away the exposed skin on his left arm, made sparks against the shield on his right, tore at the front of his shirt and put shallow gashes into his chest.

The boy was crying.

And he was safe.

Kyle gasped for breath and tried not to scream in pain because of his exposed raw flesh. He rolled to one side and released the boy to the ground, now only a millimeter below and quite safe for him to land on.

He struggled to his feet and looked up at the people who had gathered around them. "Make sure this kid's all right... get a doctor," he snapped. "But stay with him."

He pushed his way through the crowd, back toward where he and Samantha had been dueling. Both she and the magician were still there, still in the same positions they'd been in when he'd left them both behind.

"That was a mistake, Kyle McCraine!" the magician shouted. "Now the boy will lose his sister!"

A reddish aura surrounded him.

_No._

I won't let it happen.

Kyle's anger-filled eyes were set on the magician as he strode toward him. He brought his arm up, aimed the Eye of Horus at the magician, and allowed the shield to do what it was meant to do.

Protect the innocent.

Another golden streak of light boiled from the eye and wrapped around the magician. Another aura surrounded him, this one of gold, and it engulfed both the magician and his red aura.

The magician's magic had no place to go except within the boundaries of the aura cast upon him by the shield.

He tried to shout, but the golden glow permitted no sound, no air, no escape of any kind.

The reddish aura grew white hot and turned upon its conjuror.

The magician was consumed by his own fire.

Kyle watched the magician disappear in his own flames, and he watched without a trace of remorse or regret. _He would have killed to get to me. I won't allow it._

There was nothing left within the golden boundary once the light vanished. The beam from the shield retracted, and Kyle's thoughts turned to Theoris. _But I can't protect everyone. What if they try to kill again? What if my remaining opponent is faced with a similar threat? The magicians won't try to drop someone over a building again; they'll be too smart for that. What will I do?_

**You will cross that bridge when you come to it, Kyle. You cannot know if your other opponents will also have loved ones at stake or not. And until you do, you must not worry yourself with such. You have done well today. Your power increases.**

But my frailty remains.

Kyle suddenly felt very tired. His power might have been increasing, but it was still taxing to use the powers of the Millennium Shield.

He approached Samantha, who was still collapsed on the ground. Tears streamed down her face. She had the look of someone who had lost everything.

She had seen Kyle catch her brother... but she refused to believe it.

Kyle knelt down to her side. He gently touched her arm. "Samantha..."

She continued to sob uncontrollably. "I lost him... I lost my little brother... Nate... I'm so sorry, Nate..."

"Samantha," Kyle said again, this time more loudly.

She sniffed and looked up at him through a haze of tears.

"He's safe," Kyle said gently. "Your little brother is safe."

He pointed to where the crowd had gathered around the boy. "He's right over there, safe and sound. In the company of people who will keep him safe."

She sniffled again, and tried to speak, but her sobbing choked whatever she was going to say.

But her lips told him all he needed to know. It was a one-word question.

"You know how," he responded. "It's up to you to decide whether to believe it or not. But whether you believe it happened or not doesn't really matter, I guess... the result is the same, either way. Your brother is safe."

He got to his feet and gathered his holoprojectors, which he snapped back into his duel disk. He packed all of his variously placed cards back in his deck slot, then approached Samantha again and extended his hand. "Let me take you to him."

She reached up with a trembling hand, slipped it into his.

He gently pulled her to her feet. Her knees buckled, and she fell into him. He held her up, trying to hold back expressions of pain for his scraped skin.

_She needs some comfort right about now_, Kyle thought. He tried to push past the awkwardness of having a girl so close to him, and held her in a half-hug as they moved toward the crowd.

The boy was hugging a random woman. The woman didn't understand what was going on, nor did she really care at the moment; she saw a child in need of a protective, motherly figure, and she figured that if he saw her as such, so be it. She was gently returning his hug and rocking him back and forth slightly.

Now that Kyle had a more calm look at the boy, he could see that he was just barely into his double-digits, if at all. His brown hair was mussed up from the fall, and his frightened blue eyes showed Kyle that he'd been through more than anyone should have to experience.

Sobs overwhelmed the boy's sister once again, as she saw that he was perfectly safe, just as Kyle had said. She rushed to him and grabbed him up in a bear hug.

"Nate..." she whispered. "Nate... you're safe, oh my God, you're safe..."

Kyle allowed a small smile. _Looks like things will be okay, after all._

Samantha looked up at him, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "You... you're an angel," she whispered.

He shook his head. "No. Not an angel. But hopefully, a friend."

She threw herself at him then, and wrapped an arm around his neck. "Thank you... thank you so much..."

He smiled and encircled her waist with one arm. "It's all right."

She pulled away after a moment and sighed. She pulled a card from the graveyard slot of her duel disk. "Here."

He looked down at it.

It was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon she'd used. And it wasn't one Kyle had ever seen before. He frowned slightly at it. _The magicians had the other missing Blue-Eyes? And they gave one of Monica's to Peter... this must mean my final opponent has the third one._

I'll need to be ready to counter it.

"Beat them," she whispered.

He took the card and nodded gravely. "Count on it."


	15. Friendship's Fall I

_A/N: So with the conclusion of his duel against Samantha, Kyle prepares for his third challenger! But first, a small back-story... I work for a shipping company/drop-off center, and a couple months ago, I spotted a dropped-off package with the name "Samantha Cross" on the pickup label. This was **after** I had written that last duel – I've been writing them for several months now – and I could hardly believe my eyes. I made a photocopy of that label and to this day I use it as a bookmark. And now, back to your regularly scheduled chapter!_

Chibigreen: I've been updating abnormally quickly these days since my materials are mostly complete anyway. Makes it easier to update in a timely fashion.

Mira: Up until recently, my deck wasn't all that organized, either; I much preferred Kyle's way of deck construction – that is, I would insert the cards I thought would be the most liable to help win. Nowadays, though, there's more emphasis on having a theme or a base in decks.

-------

Kyle felt guilty over not being able to stay long enough to see that Samantha's brother made it safely to the hospital. The surrounding adults had chosen to err on the side of caution, a position that Kyle would also have taken in a split instant.

Now, though, he needed to focus his attention on finding the remaining duelist the magicians had charged to stop him. He'd briefly exchanged goodbyes with Samantha already, who'd firmly insisted that they find a way to stay in touch and gave him her cellular phone number. He'd nodded politely and then disappeared into the crowd.

He gently rubbed at the scrapes on his arm and chest. _These're gonna hurt for a while to come._

**The boy is safe. That is what matters above all else.**

That much is true. But now I have to find the last one. She was just the second, and she's about as tough as Monica in duels. That doesn't bode well for me.

**Then modify your deck accordingly, so that you will have a greater chance of success. You now have two Blue-Eyes White Dragons in your possession, and it would be folly not to at least consider their use.**

Also true. Kyle found a seat on a bus bench whose purpose had been lost since the beginning of the tournament; the streets were closed to traffic. He pulled out his main deck and side deck, then began a painfully tedious process of choosing which cards to keep and which cards to stow. _I can't afford to lose; I have to have my best. But with these things in my deck, I won't be able to help but think of Monica. It feels like sacrilege._

**You must use all available resources. Your Amphibian Beast and Tri-Horned Dragon, while powerful, are still weak by comparison; now you have much greater monsters at your command. If you wish to succeed, it would be prudent of you to put those monsters to use, rather than let them sit idle in your side deck. They may be the determining factor in a duel.**

Let's hope my Life Points don't get low enough that we have to find out.

Kyle slipped his deck back into his duel disk and got to his feet. _Let's also hope that we can find the other duelist. I don't care about the locator cards anymore; all I care about is making sure that we all get out of this alive and safe._

**_That is all either of us cares about anymore._**

Kyle got up and roamed through the plaza, not really looking for anyone in particular. It was a sure thing that anyone who even so much as caught a glimpse of him would consider him an oddity and worth looking at again, considering the rather ornate, expensive-looking plate of gold hanging on his arm.

But after several minutes of simply walking around, he felt himself growing impatient, so he headed toward the parking lot where he'd left his motorcycle. He mounted the vehicle and took off at a leisurely pace, making sure his shield stayed visible at all times to those he passed. To be sure, he got some very odd looks, but he didn't care. _The sooner this third duelist finds me, the better off I am. 'Cause sure enough I'm not going to find them._

Riding around Domino didn't seem to do the trick, either – the next fifteen minutes were full of nothing but him riding around at running speed on his cycle, just looking for someone to approach him or flag him down. Neither happened.

He finally dismounted his motorcycle and groaned in frustration. _Throw me a bone, here!_

Whether by coincidence or by some form of supernatural intervention, the sound of a horse whinnying caused Kyle to perk slightly. _A horse on a Japanese street?_

Sure enough, when he looked up, that was exactly what he saw – and astride that horse was a man in dark robes, sporting a long white beard and a smile full of mottled teeth.

"I trust you are enjoying yourself?" The magician smirked at Kyle.

Kyle glared. "Not at all, thank you very much. All I wanted out of this tournament was a little friendly competition, but then you had to come along and make something sick out of it."

"It is not a game, Kyle McCraine. It never was. Not in our time, and not in this time."

"Things change."

"Yet the balance of life and death remain. To that end, I suggest to follow me if you ever want to see her alive again."

The magician rode off towards the edge of town. Kyle quickly mounted his motorcycle and followed.

The horse's speed was demonic. Kyle found himself moving at well beyond 100 kilometers per hour, yet he was still losing ground. _Good lord, what do they feed that horse?!_

The magician turned a corner, and Kyle had to clench the brake lever with all his might and even lean to his right side in order to make the turn. He almost fell off the bike in the process, and just barely managed to right himself before twisting the accelerator again.

The chase led Kyle to a decrepit warehouse that was half-destroyed. The magician began to slow down as he approached the center of the old building, and Kyle also slowed.

There was nothing to be seen here. **_Kyle, be careful. It is a trap, it must be._**

Duh. But what choice do you think I've got? They were willing to kill Samantha's brother. They almost succeeded. And that shows they won't hesitate to kill Monica.

**_Not true. As far as we are aware, Monica remains the only bargaining chip they have._**

Once they get hold of another one, they'll be free to kill either her or the other to ensure my cooperation in negotiating the release of the remaining hostage. It happened before, it'll happen again.

Kyle brought his bike up next to the magician and scowled at him. "Okay, I'm here. What is it you want?"

"We want you to duel."

"With...?"

The magician gestured grandly toward the middle of the warehouse... where there was nothing but empty air.

Kyle snorted. "Got someone lying in wait? How dramatic."

"You have no idea."

Suddenly, the air itself began to waver, as if it were nothing more than a mirage on a highway or a dune of sand. A moment later, the true intent of the magicians was revealed.

Kyle looked up at the scene... and all he could do was gasp in shock.

The platform in front of him loomed like something out of a nightmare. Black wood composed the framework, gleaming red fixtures at the corners. In place of the usual rope, a thick chain snaked down to wrap its noose around Chubs' neck, its links tight enough that he couldn't break free of it without the key to the padlock hanging behind his neck.

Kyle stared. _It's not real_, he thought to himself. "It just... can't be real."

"It's real," Chubs said, sounding faintly hoarse, making Kyle start; he hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud. "Kyle, the chain.... I can feel it. It's real."

Kyle's face contorted in sheer revulsion as he looked back at the rider. "What the hell are you doing? I'm not going to duel him like this!"

"You must," the rider said simply. "He is the third duelist. So unless you hand over your Millennium Shield and your deck to us, of your own free will, you must duel your male friend. And rest assured, if you find victory against him, he will die."

"Kyle," Chubs uttered softly, "let's do this, okay? If you're not going to give them that shield – and God only knows why you would put the worth of that thing above the worth of a friend – then the only option is for us to duel." His eyes narrowed. "Unless you want to look in the mirror tomorrow morning and see the face of betrayal. Unless you want to prove, once and for all, that you never really did care about anything but yourself."

"Don't preach to me, Chubs," Kyle mumbled. "Neither of us came here to do things this way. I never wanted any of this to happen."

"It's a bit late to think about that, now, isn't it?" Chubs snapped. "Either give them what they want or duel me. 'Less you want to see someone die today."

"I don't."

"Well, then?"

Chubs raised his left arm, which still bore the duel disk that he, Monica, and Kyle had all retrieved alongside two others.

Kyle let out a shuddering breath. "I don't want to duel you like this, Chubs."

"There's not much choice in the matter, Kyle. If I'm going to die, I want to do it knowing I was doing something I loved... something that got me an invaluable friend. Even if I had to fight him."

"You think I'm going to win?"

Chubs inclined his head slightly. "You're a good duelist. Don't get me wrong. I want to win. And to live. But in case I don't, I want to make sure that I've got no regrets about it. About _this_, anyway. So... get your duel disk ready, because it's time for us to find out just how well you can do against the one who taught you the game."

**_Kyle, he is right. There is no other alternative. You must duel. If nothing else, you can use the duel as a stalling maneuver while you try to find a way to get yourself and him out of this situation._**

Kyle closed his eyes. His shoulders slumped. Theoris and Chubs were both right. He had no choice but to duel.

"All right," he said. "Fine. Let's do this."

The duel disks began communicating with each other through the specially designated radio frequency meant for the disks.

"You go first," said Kyle.

"Fine by me." Chubs drew his first five cards, and then a sixth. "I place one magic/trap face-down, and one monster face-down, and my turn ends there."

A pair of larger-than-life holographic Duel Monsters cards appeared in front of Chubs.

Kyle drew. "My turn, then. And for it, I play Mechanicalchaser (1850/800) in attack mode."

The clicking, whiny-motored machine monster shimmered to life in midair. Once, it had been Chubs' monster. Kyle realized the faux pas almost as soon as he played the card, but there was little he could do about it now. He made a face for a moment, then ordered, "Mechanicalchaser, attack his face-down monster!"

Kyle's Mechanicalchaser rocketed forward and stabbed its lower javelin into the face-down monster card on Chubs' field. The monster revealed itself for a moment, a warrior festooned with ornate metal.

"Looks like my Robotic Knight (1600/1800) rusted out a bit early," Chubs scoffed. "Ah, well."

Kyle tried, and failed, to smile at the remark. "I end my turn."

Chubs bobbed his head, then drew. He then slipped a card into one of the empty slots on his m/t field, then pressed the corresponding button on the opposite edge of his duel disk. "I play the magic card Final Flame, which deals 600 damage directly to your Life Points."

A ring of fire surrounded Kyle for a moment, and his disk's LP counter scrolled down to 3400. He grimaced. _Yeah, gotta keep those burn cards in mind. I can only hope he doesn't have a Tremendous Fire sitting in there somewhere, or I'm even more screwed._

"And then I'll place a monster face-down and end my turn," Chubs supplemented. Again, his field had two cards on it.

Kyle drew his next card and chewed the left side of his bottom lip for a moment. _Hmm... not really much better, and nothing I've got is really good on its own... but I may as well. And knowing him, he may just have a better defense than Mechanicalchaser can punch through, now. Best I go for it._ "I sacrifice Mechanicalchaser to bring out Black Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800) in attack mode."

The hologram of Mechanicalchaser bulged, as if spontaneously pregnant, and shattered. The golden orb that had been the center of the mechanical monster had apparently contained a small, black, wingless dragon-like creature. The creature enlarged until it had grown twice as tall as Kyle. It snarled, its claws singing through the air, its teeth gnashing.

Kyle would have gotten into the spirit of the moment, were the circumstances not so gruesome. "Jungle King, attack his face-down!"

The fearsome creature ran forward and swiped its claws at the face-down card on Chubs' monster field. The monster beneath showed itself in the midst of its own destruction... and to Kyle's slight surprise, it proved to be another Robotic Knight.

At Kyle's expression, Chubs could only shrug. "Never hurts to have more than one. You know that."

"Suppose I do," Kyle conceded. "Your turn."

"And I'll make good use of it," Chubs said, "by placing one monster face-down. Back to you."

_This is getting rather monotonous_, Kyle thought.

**_What would you prefer?_**

Something a bit more head-clearing. I need to focus. I could duel like this for days on end, just attacking, one after another. And it's kind of hard to duel like this, anyway, when your best friend's about to be lynched by a bunch of ancient, power-hungry monsters. You're working on a way to get him out of it, right?

**Let me worry about that, Kyle. Keep your attention focused on the duel. Nothing else must be allowed to pervade your thoughts. Not the presence of the magicians, not the chain, not your best friend... nothing. Your intent is to win.**

No kidding. Kyle drew his next card, a spark of determination beginning to glow within him. _All right, then..._ "I place one monster face-down. Jungle King, attack his monster!"

For the third time, Kyle's monster charged Chubs' defense. This time, the monster guarding Chubs' Life Points – and the monster that found itself mauled by Kyle's dragon – was a Jinzo #7 (500/400).

Chubs sighed slightly. "Not gonna give me an advantage in this duel, are you, Kyle?"

Kyle stared at Chubs... or rather... _through_ him. As if he were no one special, no one close... just some random duelist he'd tripped across on a particularly nice day to engage in competition. And he flatly stated, "I'm giving you everything I've got. I hope you'll do the same."

Chubs saw the expression on Kyle's face – or rather, lack of one – and found himself unable to respond.

"End turn," Kyle said.

Chubs drew. "Again, I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Kyle inspected his next card. "I place one magic/trap face-down. Jungle King, attack his monster!"

The expression on Chubs' face was one of annoyance as Kyle's dragon devoured yet another of his monsters. "I was hoping you'd play something like Muka Muka so that my Possessed Dark Soul (1200/800) could actually make _use_ of its effect."

"Sorry," Kyle said shortly. "End turn."

Chubs drew his next card, and a small glint of satisfaction lit his eyes. "Once again, I place one monster face-down on the field and end my turn. See a pattern here, Kyle? Maybe you'd like to get some more monsters out so that you can just do me in and get it overwith. I can only play one monster per turn."

Kyle refused to let Chubs get to him as he drew his next card. _He wouldn't have anything really worth not attacking... if that makes sense. Far as I know, he doesn't have anything like Cyber Jar or Fiber Jar, so he wouldn't try to bait me into pulling out more monsters. Unless he's got something like Change of Heart or Soul Exchange, waiting for sacrifice measures? Maybe. Better keep myself safe._ "I place another magic/trap face-down. Jungle King, go to!"

The snarling dragon slashed at Chubs' defender... and Kyle blinked.

Chubs smiled slightly. "About time, Kyle. Thanks for destroying my Sangan (1000/600). Finally I can make something of this duel." He pulled his deck from its slot on his duel disk and swiftly picked out the target for Sangan's effect.

Kyle pursed his lips. _Now he's getting a foothold._ "End turn."

Chubs drew, but barely paid attention to his hand's newest addition. "I place one monster face-down and end my turn. And by all means, attack it. I think it's proven by now I've got no way of stopping you. Sure enough my face-down magic/trap isn't going to do it."

Kyle narrowed his eyes as he drew. _Okay, now he's goading me. He'd never bluff. He wants me to attack it. It's got to be another one of his effect cards... maybe with a burn power to it? Lady Assailant of Flames, maybe. I remember that one. Anyway, best to protect myself._

"I place one magic/trap face-down," Kyle announced, "and then I summon Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode!"

Kyle's blue-robed sorcerer appeared at the dragon's side. By comparison, he stood smaller, but his effect was deadly if used properly. Kyle's eyes narrowed further at the protection Chubs' single monster card offered him. _I should attack with King first... make sure he doesn't have a high defense to knock my Life Points with if I attack with a weaker monster._ "Jungle King, attack!"

Kyle's Jungle King leapt forward once again. Its claws scraped across a metal shell.

"And now you've destroyed my UFO Turtle (1400/1200)," Chubs smirked. "I'll put his effect to use... and the monster I choose to Special Summon to attack mode from my deck is another UFO Turtle!"

Kyle ground his teeth. _He wants sacrifice fodder. He's got to have something good in his hand, he just can't play it because I keep wrecking his monsters. And if I attack this new Turtle, he'll just put out another monster._

But it's an opening I can't ignore. It lets me at a portion of his Life Points, and it deprives him of a potential sacrifice to use later. He made his choice. "Maha Vailo, attack his UFO Turtle!"

Maha Vailo cast a pale blue bolt of energy across the field, and the bolt struck UFO Turtle's metal shell. The creature's voice crackled a moment before it vanished.

"Taking the bait, Kyle?" Chubs _tsk_ed, even as his Life Points scrolled down to 3850. "Shame on you. I thought you played more wisely than that."

"I got at your Life Points and destroyed a monster, didn't I?"

"True. But now I get to Special Summon another Fire-Type monster to the field in attack mode, and you don't have any monsters left to attack with."

"Whatever monster you pull out next will be weaker than either monster I've got in attack position," Kyle noted.

"Not the point," Chubs answered. "But I really should let you see for yourself. For now, I Special Summon Lady Assailant of Flames (1500/1000) in attack mode!"

Chubs' Lady Assailant manifested herself on the field, her arms crossed defiantly as she stared down Kyle's two monsters.

Kyle mentally snorted. _Well, it may be sacrifice fodder, but two of my three trap cards can take out whatever he brings to the field. So I shouldn't be worried too much._ "I'll end my turn there."

Chubs made his next move. "First, I play the magic card Heavy Storm, to destroy all magic/trap cards on our respective fields."

The holoprojectors cast forth a plethora of lightning bolts to wrap about the holographic cards on their respective fields, thus shattering the images.

Kyle groaned aloud as he discarded his Trap Hole, Widespread Ruin, and Negate Attack cards. Chubs allowed himself a small smirk, himself having lost only a magic card called Spiritual Energy Settle Machine.

Upon seeing Chubs' loss of that magic card, Kyle frowned. _Spiritual Energy Settle Machine only affects Spirit monsters. I didn't even know he had any Spirit monsters. Did he get lucky at the card shops recently, or did the magicians tamper with his deck?_

**It matters not, Kyle. He can no longer use that card, and therefore, whatever Spirit monsters he possesses maintain the fatal requirement of returning to the hand of their owner at the end of the turn in which they are summoned. Even if he summons one, it would be a potentially costly endeavor.**

_True. But there are a couple of Fire-Type Spirits out there that're powerful to the extreme. I can only hope he doesn't have them._

Chubs continued his turn. "Since you've been destroying a lot of my Fire-Type monsters, I'll remove one of my Robotic Knights from the graveyard – and the game – in order to Special Summon this creature... Spirit of Flames (1700/1000) in attack mode!"

Chubs' Spirit of Flames was a demonic creature. It looked as though it had been forged from pure lava, and its muscles were rippling magma. It growled menacingly at Kyle's monsters.

Kyle waited patiently – and silently – for Chubs' next play. _Even with his Spirit's effect, it's not strong enough to take out Jungle King. He knows that. And he wouldn't leave his pants down._

**...a disturbing image.**

Pipe down.

"And since that was a Special Summon," Chubs stated, "I'm still allowed to normally summon a monster this turn. It's one you're familiar with, I'm sure. I sacrifice Spirit of Flames and Lady Assailant of Flames to play Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) in attack mode!"

Kyle's eyes widened. _This is bad..._

Lady Assailant and Spirit both faded from view, and between their specters rose the familiar orange-brown dragon. Its hologram's size rivaled that of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon; it took to the air and sneered down at Kyle and his suddenly weak field of creatures.

"The attack power would be enough for me," Chubs said, "but the effect makes it entirely irresistible... and all-powerful. He can't be targeted by trap cards, and he can attack twice in the same turn if you still have a monster on your field after his first attack... like so. Tyrant Dragon, attack his Maha Vailo!"

Kyle's Vailo cringed under the burst of white-hot flames that belched from Chubs' Tyrant Dragon, and then disappeared in a shower of sparks. Kyle instinctively threw up one arm to shield himself, even though the sparks were completely harmless.

"And now, Tyrant Dragon, attack Black Dragon Jungle King!"

Kyle again threw up his arm to ward off the sparks that flew upon his Jungle King's destruction.

"That ends my turn," Chubs announced.

Kyle peeked at his LP counter as he drew his next card. He'd been knocked from 3400 to 1250 in one turn.

_Not good... not good at all._ He grimaced, almost afraid to look at the card he'd drawn. _If I let him beat me down like that any further, then the magicians win... but if I win the duel, then he dies. Either way, I lose!_


	16. Friendship's Fall II

_A/N: Part 2 of Kyle vs. Chubs. Enjoy... or bite your nails... one of the two..._

Mira: Glad I could help a fellow duelist. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for ya!

-------

Kyle's LP – 1250

Chubs' LP – 3850

--

Kyle finally turned the card he'd drawn around in his fingers and looked at it. _Okay, this is good... I can at least make a comeback with this._

He pushed the magic card into one of his open slots, then hit the activation button. "I play Raigeki!"

Chubs' jaw dropped and he glared in silent helplessness and anger as a massive lightning bolt from the sky wreathed around his Tyrant Dragon and obliterated it. Kyle couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. _Bringing it back will prove hard for him, too, since he can't revive it without a dragon on his field to sacrifice as an additional cost. But right now, I've got to go to the defensive; I don't have anything good to attack with._ "Next, I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down. That ends my turn."

"You'll pay for that cheap move," Chubs muttered, as he drew. "I place one magic/trap face-down and summon Fire Kraken (1600/1500) in attack mode!"

A creature that could only be defined as a squid wreathed in flame wavered into being on the field. It gurgled.

"Attacking with it may prove reckless, but it's what I've got to work with. Fire Kraken, attack the monster he just played!"

Kyle pressed an m/t activation button. "Activate Waboku!" A group of miniature spellcasters rallied around the holographic card and cast a shield of protection around it.

His monster was still revealed, however; the holographic card flipped up and revealed an emaciated, red-headed little girl. She wore a ragged and worn blue dress, and she was seated next to a picnic basket bearing dying flowers. An expression of eternal hopelessness and despair was etched into her little face.

"My Unhappy Maiden (0/100) is revealed. Hope you enjoyed that little exercise," Kyle said.

"Well, now I at least know what monster to attack last," Chubs muttered. "End turn."

Kyle drew and inspected his new card a moment. "I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

"Now who's on the defensive?" Chubs scoffed, drawing as he spoke. "I rather like this. I place one magic/trap face-down. Fire Kraken, attack his last monster!"

Chubs' Fire Kraken bolted toward Kyle's field and wrapped its tentacles about the last card Kyle had played. Kyle smiled grimly when that monster was revealed. "You're not the only one with a Sangan (1000/600), my friend."

"Well, get on with it, then, we haven't got all day. Neither do our hosts," Chubs scorned, eyeing the magicians warily.

Kyle searched through his deck for the monster he wanted, made his choice and added it to his hand, then quickly reshuffled his deck. "Allrighty."

"I'm finished with my turn."

Kyle drew and considered his next move. _I need to get my Life Points back up, or take his down. He got me pretty badly. Maybe this'll help._ "I place one magic/trap face-down, and one monster face-down. That'll end my turn."

Chubs' move was almost immediate after he drew. "Kraken, attack the last monster he played!"

His Fire Kraken raced across to Kyle's field once again and wrapped itself about the larger-than-life card, hoping to squeeze the life out of it.

But instead, Fire Kraken itself became wrapped in a long, squealing tentacle. One end of the worm-like tendril pierced Kraken's soft hide and began to feed, while the other end swung its single eye around to stare intently at its owner.

Chubs frowned. "You always did love your Kiseitai (300/800). Why, I've got no idea. It's disgusting."

"Whatever works," Kyle responded.

"Yeah, yeah. End turn."

Kyle drew. _I'm not getting very good cards. I need a new hand pretty soon._

After this move, I'll need a hand, period! "I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down, and end my turn."

Chubs drew, and Kyle's Life Points increased to 2050. Kyle allowed a small smile to flit across his features for an instant – _maybe I can get back up to where he is._ If anything, it would allow them both a little more time to stall, and give himself – and Theoris – more time to try to devise a plan to get out of this mess.

Chubs squinted irritatedly at Kyle's LP counter. "You may get a nice little rise out of my monster, but it's not going to stay that way for long. You're a good duelist, no mistake, but I'm determined to win."

He selected one card from his hand. "With that, I sacrifice Fire Kraken to play Steel Ogre Grotto #2 (1900/2200) in attack mode."

Fire Kraken – and Kiseitai – shattered, and in their place arose an iron figure with an ovular body and massive arms meant to crush any object in their path. It slammed its fists together to emphasize the point; the noise was painful.

"Steel Ogre Grotto," Chubs ordered, "attack his first face-down monster!"

The massive metal monster launched a huge fist and bore down on the monster that had now lasted the longest on Kyle's field. His Magician of Faith (300/400) cowered under the attack, and then vanished.

Chubs growled, knowing what magic card Kyle was going to bring back from the graveyard before his hand even moved to that slot. He muttered, "Cheap. Not like I've got a choice, but I'll end my turn."

Kyle wasted no time with his turn. "I play Raigeki again to destroy your monster."

Two lightning bolts streamed down from the cloudless sky and struck Chubs' monster. His Steel Ogre Grotto #2 was destroyed in a shower of sparks and holographic glass.

"I end my turn there."

Chubs growled again, but drew his next card. "I place one face-down magic/trap and end my turn."

Kyle raised an eyebrow slightly. _No monsters? If not, he's probably got something to his advantage back there. Not like I can attack anyway._ "I also place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

Chubs drew. "Again, I place one magic/trap face-down and finish my turn."

Kyle's next card brought him a little more happiness. _Maybe I can test what he's got on his back row._ "I play Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) in attack mode."

A puddle of water appeared on the field, slowly grew and formed into a pillar-like shape, then solidified into the masked, water-manipulating sorcerer.

Kyle felt himself hesitate, even though the attack order was on the tip of his tongue. _I don't want him to get hurt._

**Kyle, I have already told you once that you must not concern yourself with what might happen. Your focus is on the duel. Let me worry about the rest.**

The teen breathed a sigh and nodded slightly. "All right. Aqua Madoor, attack his Life Points!"

Chubs quickly brought up his duel disk and pressed a magic/trap activation button. "Ah-ah, Kyle, you know better. Activate Gravity Bind!"

Chubs' Gravity Bind trap card flipped face-up. The field was suddenly overlaid with a green grid that extended across both monster fields and across the expanse between. The grid grew over Kyle's Aqua Madoor, like a net, and held it in place.

Kyle sighed. _Okay, so I can't attack with any monster above level 3. Certainly there're worse traps he could've used, because the same restriction applies to him._ "Fine. That ends my turn."

Chubs drew his next card and grinned grimly before sliding it into one of his m/t slots and hitting the appropriate activation button. The card appeared on the field and flipped face-up; Kyle recognized it as one of Chubs' burn cards. "I play Ookazi to deal 800 direct damage to your Life Points."

Kyle shook his head as he activated one of his own m/t's. "I need every Life Point I can get. I activate Magic Jammer to stop Ookazi's effect." He discarded the one card still in his hand – Skull Guardian, one of the two cards he'd won from Zack.

Chubs' expression was one of annoyance as his Ookazi vanished, its effect having been rendered null. "You're stubborn. End turn."

"I have to be stubborn," Kyle said as he drew. "Lives depend on it now."

**_Kyle, stop that and play the game._**

_Yes, Master._ He turned over one of the cards on his monster field. On the holographic field, the card flipped up and revealed a pot containing a grinning, demonic face with a red eye. "I flip Morphing Jar (700/600) into attack mode and activate its effect."

Chubs offered a slight shrug. "Probably best that way, anyway."

"Nice," Kyle snorted. He discarded his Time Seal trap card and drew his next five, keeping his eyes on his friend the whole time. Chubs' one remaining card had been Spring of Rebirth.

_That would've worked nicely with Spirit monsters and their effect. Suddenly their weakness becomes a strength in another card. He's got to have Spirits in there... but what are they? And when will they come out, if at all?_ Kyle inspected his new hand. _But this isn't too bad. I can take back the offensive with these. But first, I should get some more cards..._

"Next, I activate Pot of Greed from the field," he announced. As the hologram appeared, he drew his next two cards...

...and one of Chubs' face-down traps flipped face-up.

"I may as well use this," Chubs said. "I can't stop you from drawing more cards, but I know that you're going to go after my Gravity Bind sooner or later. All this drawing you're doing makes it more inevitable. And, knowing your tactics, you'll be like me and try to take out all of my magic/trap cards at once, which means Heavy Storm, unless you've got a Harpie's Feather Duster. So I activate my Ultimate Offering card, and I sacrifice 500 Life Points to place one monster face-down on the field."

A burst of reddish liquid – meant to look like blood – shot out from the Ultimate Offering trap and congealed into a face-down monster card in front of it, as Chubs' LP fell to 3350.

Kyle inspected his hand and wondered if Chubs might be latently psychic, but then shrugged. _We both know I've got that card. We both know I'm liable to use it, especially when he's got a back row of four m/t's._ He glanced back up at Chubs as he put one of his m/t's into an open slot. "You're quite perceptive. I activate Heavy Storm to destroy all magic/trap cards on the field."

"Figures." Chubs scoffed over the din of the lightning bolts reaching out to blast their m/t's. He hit an activation button. "Before you destroy everything, I'll chain another use of Ultimate Offering to your Heavy Storm's activation and sacrifice 500 Life Points and my face-down Lady Assailant of Flames (1500/1000) to play Judge Man (2200/1500) in attack mode."

Another stream of holographic blood shot out of the Ultimate Offering card an instant before it was obliterated by Heavy Storm. The blood oozed over the card that had been created just a moment before, and then congealed into a massive warrior bearing a mace. Chubs' Life Points again took a dive, this time to 2850.

Chubs discarded Ultimate Offering along with his remaining m/t's: Gravity Bind, A Feint Plan, and Enchanted Javelin.

_Hmm._ Kyle discarded his face-down Waboku, but he didn't feel overly threatened by Chubs' Judge Man. _Still, it's best if I make it look like I am. Then he'll attack._ "I place one magic/trap face-down and switch my Aqua Madoor to defense mode. That'll end my turn."

Chubs narrowed his eyes at Kyle after drawing. "You've left yourself open, Kyle. Your Morphing Jar is still in attack mode."

"I've got enough Life Points that it won't be a matter of life and death if you attack it."

"2050. You're almost at half strength."

"And the total attack damage would only be 1500," Kyle pointed out.

"Almost 75 percent of your Life Points. Something tells me you wouldn't risk losing that much. Not just so you could get a new hand of cards."

"Then attack and find out," Kyle challenged.

"In due time." Chubs carefully made his selection. "I play the magic card Tremendous Fire."

A pillar of fire stretched down from the sky and blasted Kyle's side of the field. Kyle was wreathed in flame for several moments, and it took all of his courage not to flinch – too much – at the burning column.

Several embers landed on Chubs' side of the field. He simply stared resolutely through the flames and at his opponent. After a few more seconds, the flames died and the pillar receded into the sky. Kyle muttered a curse as he spied their respective LP counters: he had lost 1000 from his original 2050, while Chubs had lost 500... and Chubs' loss was from 2850. _I really hope he's only got one of those. I don't need this!_

"Now Judge Man's attack would wipe out the rest of your Life Points," Chubs stated flatly. "And as soon as that happens, I can get off this platform and go back to living my life without these bastards. I dunno what you did to piss them off so royally, but whatever it was, it's going to be resolved here and now. Judge Man, attack his Morphing Jar!"

Kyle pressed a magic/trap activation button. "Sorry, but this duel's got to keep going. Activate Mirror Force!"

Chubs' eyes widened as Kyle's Mirror Force card flipped face-up and fired streamers of energy at the charging Judge Man. The warrior roared for a moment as he was struck by the energy, then shattered.

Chubs glowered as he discarded Judge Man. "You'll get yours, Kyle, I swear you will." Angrily, he pushed two more magic/traps into his duel disk. "I place one magic/trap face-down and activate Dark Hole!"

A black vortex with a white core swirled between the two fields. Kyle's Aqua Madoor, Unhappy Maiden, and Morphing Jar were all sucked into the vortex, with no hope for escape, and vanished.

Kyle discarded the three monsters and kept his thoughts to himself about the spiteful move. He understood it, though he didn't like it. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep attacking Chubs anyway.

**_Attacking is the only way you shall win. You have no Life Point burning cards, as he does, and his deck has always had more cards than yours; thus, he cannot lose by default. You must take the offensive._**

_I know._

"That ends my turn," Chubs said, almost as an afterthought.

Kyle pursed his lips and drew his next card. His move was a quick one. "I play Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode."

Twin elves appeared on the field, arms crossed, standing almost back-to-back. They stared at Chubs as if regarding an insect.

A small part of Kyle felt pained at how easily the attack order came to him, but he knew he really didn't have any choice. "Gemini Elf, attack his Life Points!"

Chubs activated the one card still on his field. "Activate Enchanted Javelin!"

The trap card flipped face-up, and a great, intricately carved, winged javelin appeared in front of it. It didn't stop the Gemini Elf attack – the twins' strike almost caused Chubs to stagger back – but instead shot toward its master and seemed to impale him an instant before the attack hit.

His Life Points escalated to 4250 when the javelin struck, but when the Gemini Elf attack hit, his LP descended back down to its original 2350. Despite having been hit, he grinned grimly at Kyle. "As good as a Kuriboh or a Waboku."

"If you say so," said Kyle. "I end my turn there." _Eventually, he's going to run out of cards to block significant damage to his Life Points. What's he going to do then?_

And, moreover, what am I going to do then?

Chubs drew his next hard, heedless of Kyle's thoughts. "Your elves don't scare me, Kyle, because I've got something even stronger. I remove my second Robotic Knight from the graveyard and the game in order to Special Summon Spirit of Flames (1700/1000) in attack mode!"

Kyle's eyes narrowed. _Another one. This is just what I need. And thanks to its special effect, it'll be strong enough in his Battle Phase to take out Gemini Elf_.

Evidently this point was not lost on Chubs. "Now I move into my Battle Phase, and my monster becomes 300 attack points stronger. Spirit of Flames, attack Gemini Elf!"

Chubs' Spirit of Flames wasted no time with its attack; it growled, then raised its open palms toward the twin elves, and emitted two great bursts of searing lava from its hands. The lava streams struck the elves, who cried out an instant before shattering. Their outcry echoed in the open air as Kyle's Life Points fell to 950.

"Your turn," Chubs said.

Kyle drew and hoped that he'd get something good. When he saw the card, he frowned instead. _It's a good card, but I really don't want to resort to using it if I don't have to. Still, at this point..._ He chose both the card he'd drawn and another one from his hand and placed them on the field. "I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down, and end my turn."

Chubs drew. "I play my third Robotic Knight (1600/1800) in attack mode."

His Robotic Knight flashed onto the field in all of its intricate brilliance and brandished a thin, razor-sharp sword.

"Spirit of Flames, attack his face-down monster!"

The magma creature blasted a stream of devastating fire at Kyle's monster card... but instead of being split in half, the monster was revealed. It was a large insect, covered in a brown exoskeleton, hunched on all fours and chittering hungrily.

"Man-Eater Bug (450/600) is revealed," Kyle said. "And before it goes down, it's going to take your Robotic Knight with it!"

Man-Eater Bug jumped across the expanse and latched onto Chubs' Robotic Knight. Before the metal monster could react, the insect self-destructed, and the explosion carried over. Robotic Knight was blown apart. _That'll stop him from attacking my Life Points and force him to end his Battle Phase._

Chubs narrowed his eyes at Kyle in irritation. "Once again, your stubborn nature is the only thing saving your Life Points. End turn."

"Not just my stubborn nature. Anyone can be stubborn," Kyle noted, drawing. "I just happen to have good cards, too. Like this one. I play Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode!"

A bestial creature bearing a massive, vicious axe wavered into being on Kyle's field.

"It's a good thing for me your Spirit's effect only applies during _your_ Battle Phase," Kyle said. "Right now, it's just a juicy target. Vorse Raider, attack Spirit of Flames!"

Kyle's Vorse Raider roared, charged forward, and made a brutal swipe with its axe. Spirit of Flames was split in two and it vanished into thin air, causing Chubs' Life Points to scroll down to 2150.

"That ends my turn," Kyle said, ignoring Chubs' glare. _He doesn't have any normal level 4 monsters with this kind of attack power. Only monsters with conditions to their power, like Spirit of Flames. And he hasn't been doing a great job with defending, either. For the moment, it's just a matter of time._

Chubs drew his next card, then quickly slid it into a magic/trap slot. "I activate Graceful Charity. Maybe some good'll come of it."

_Nope, no good. Not for me._

The lassoed duelist drew his next three cards. "I discard Darkfire Soldier #2 (1700/1100) and Flame Cerebrus (2100/1800)." The two announced monsters flashed on the field momentarily before vanishing.

Kyle blinked. _Two fairly decent monsters. What was the third card?_

"Then I activate Monster Reborn," Chubs announced. His Monster Reborn hologram flipped up and hovered there while he went through his graveyard to pick out the monster he wanted to revive. He made his decision and placed it on his field. "The monster I'm bringing back is Judge Man (2200/1500) in attack mode."

Chubs' Judge Man growled as soon as he reappeared on the field, looking ready for another round of fierce fighting.

"Judge Man, attack Vorse Raider!"

Judge Man brought his mace crashing down on Vorse Raider, which roared upon being struck. Raider shattered, leaving Kyle's monster field wide open, as well as his Life Points – now at 650.

"End turn," Chubs said. His voice regained a portion of its confident clip.

Kyle drew, his own confidence beginning to wane. _I don't have any level 4 or lower monsters that can defend against that, and sooner or later, my luck's going to run out. I need something to stall with._

As soon as he saw the card he drew, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. _Well, this'll certainly do._ "I activate Swords of Revealing Light."

The Swords card appeared on Kyle's field and fired a dozen glowing projectiles at Chubs' field. Several surrounded his Judge Man, effectively restraining the monster.

"Getting desperate, Kyle?"

"Just need a little time to reorganize," Kyle replied nonchalantly. "Next, I play one monster face-down and end my turn."

Chubs drew his next card. "Your Swords of Revealing Light may stop me from attacking, but they can't save you from my burn cards."

Kyle glanced at his LP counter. He felt himself paling. _Please, not Ookazi or Tremendous Fire. Anything but one of those two!_

"I play Hinotama, to deal another 500 points of damage directly to your Life Points!"

A blazing fireball screamed down from the sky and struck Kyle in the chest. He grunted at the hit; the holographic fire didn't burn him, but it wasn't harmless. It hit him just as a direct attack would – the sophisticated force fields around the image made the hit quite real.

Chubs nodded in satisfaction. "I suggest you make the most of your next turns. I'll end mine here."

Kyle took a deep, calming breath, and drew his next card. His eyes avoided his LP counter this time – he didn't much feel like seeing the new low it had sunk to, even though he knew what the number was. _This is closer than my last duel, and it's starting to rival the one with Peter. I'd love to have a Labyrinth Brother right about now._

The card he drew didn't exactly make him feel better. _You served me well in the last duel, but right now you'd be a liability. Still, if it comes to last resort... I may need you. To the field you go._ "I place one monster face-down."

Kyle glanced at his holographic field. _I've only got one face-down trap, and it's getting to the point where it'll do the most good and the least damage, comparatively speaking. But I can't use it if he attacks. I need something else for that. And if he finds a way to wipe out my Swords before I'm ready... well..._

He made his choice. "I flip Mask of Darkness (900/400) to attack mode and activate its effect to return one of my used trap cards to my hand."

Kyle's Mask of Darkness was little more than a scarred, yellow, face-shaped plate with only a pair of small eyeholes. A pair of straps dangled from its sides. Neither player entertained the illusion that the monster itself was even remotely a threat to Chubs' Judge Man or his Life Points. Its true potential lay in its effect.

Kyle didn't inform his opponent what his choice was. He wasn't required to. Chubs could activate a request from his duel disk at any time to see Kyle's graveyard displayed on the field, and if his memory served him correctly, he'd be able to tell for himself what card Kyle had chosen.

"And now," Kyle announced, "I place one magic/trap face-down on the field. That ends my turn."

Chubs drew his next card and stared at the Swords of Revealing Light that still pervaded his monster field. "Since your Swords don't require me to play monsters face-up after their activation, I place one monster face-down on the field and switch my Judge Man to defense mode. That ends my turn."

Kyle blinked, but it was Theoris who voiced his opinion first. **_Why did he shift his Judge Man to defense mode? Contending with an attack power of 2200 would prove much more difficult for you than a defense power of 1500, especially considering the monsters you both have been using._**

I know. Maybe he's looking at my field and seeing tribute fodder. But first, I need a monster to tribute for. Kyle blinked again. _Maybe he thinks I've got Sanga or Suijin in my hand. He knows even better than I do that the best defense is a good offense. He can't attack, and he's got no magic/trap cards to stop me from pulling out a goody. Would that I even had a Labyrinth Brother in hand! Maybe I'll get lucky this turn._

Kyle drew his next card...

...and very nearly gaped at it.

**_Do not be so surprised, Kyle. You put it in your deck. It is only natural that it would appear at some point._**

But still! I hadn't thought I'd draw it, much less need to play it!

**I am aware of that. However, you have drawn it, and to win this duel, you will need to play it.**

"What're you gawking at, Kyle? Don't know your own cards anymore?" Chubs scorned.

Kyle glanced up. "I know them. What's more, you know this one by heart. But it's probably not a card you'd expect."

"Oh, really?" Chubs raised an eyebrow. "I know it by heart, yet I wouldn't expect it. What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I guess you're going to find out," Kyle answered. "Because you're going to meet it in a moment."

"I can't wait," Chubs scoffed. "And that's a fact. Get on with it!"

Kyle took another deep breath. "All right." He picked up his Mask of Darkness and his face-down monster card. "I sacrifice Mask of Darkness and my face-down Morphing Jar #2 (800/700)..."

Kyle's monsters vanished from the field, rippling out of existence, as if mere mirages.

He placed the high-level monster on his field, and the hologram was conjured directly in front of him.

A massive creature. A creature that gleamed in the sunlight. A creature that Chubs – and the magicians – stared in awe at.

A creature that belonged to someone else.

"...to play Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode."


	17. Friendship's Fall III

_A/N: And thus comes Chapter 17. Kyle gathered the will to summon Blue-Eyes to his field, but will he be able to keep it there and maintain his Life Points in the face of his well-versed opposition?_

-------

Kyle's LP – 150

Chubs' LP – 2150

--

Upon the mere mention of its name, the huge dragon roared. The sound was rumbling and piercing at the same time; its cry extended across the spectrum of audible tone. It took to the air, its gargantuan wings beating the wind harshly.

"Oh, my God," Chubs breathed. "I thought they were handing me a fake..."

Kyle's eyes widened. "A fake? They gave you a Blue-Eyes?"

"Yeah! But I thought it was fake!" Chubs responded. "They didn't give me just a Blue-Eyes _White_ Dragon, either; they gave me a Blue-Eyes _Ultimate_ Dragon card!"

"What?"

"I'd been considering sticking Cyber-Stein in my deck to use it – Blue-Eyes Ultimate is one of the only monsters even worth Cyber-Stein's cost – but I was sure it had to be a fake."

_True... Cyber-Stein eats 5000 Life Points to bring out a fusion monster, but the advantage is you don't need the monsters necessary to fuse for it..._

Chubs laughed bitterly. "I guess it makes little difference now, huh?"

Kyle's expression became contorted. "The Blue-Eyes they gave you is real. And no doubt Kaiba is looking for the Blue-Eyes cards. If he hears this one's been played, he's going to come looking for us." Kyle looked around at the magicians. "Which means if you're hiding this duel, it won't be hidden much longer."

"That is where you are incorrect," stated the horseman. "Upon visual inspection, Seto Kaiba will find no trace of us or this duel, even as it takes place. He can see only what his eyes show him."

"You can't make us intangible," Kyle said.

"Again, incorrect. We simply choose not to, and that is a flaw that we will adjust for. Therefore, if Seto Kaiba should approach this duel, the life of your male friend will most certainly be forfeit."

Both Kyle and Chubs growled at this threat. The horseman simply smiled his sadistic smile. "If we were to make you intangible, you, Kyle McCraine, would steal our power and cast it on your male friend, who could then easily slip the bond of the noose. We cannot allow that."

**_He is right. You and I cannot use the shield to twist a power to our own ends when that power is not being used. We came away from your last duel victorious because a magician was using his power to hold Samantha's brother in midair and then throw him to the ground; his power was active, and we took advantage of that to save the boy. The same cannot be done here._**

_But they're making the duel invisible, which means they're manipulating other people's sight. Surely that could be used to our advantage somehow. Most people depend on eyesight above any other sense._

**Perhaps we could. But to attempt to use their powers would be a very dangerous maneuver. There are many of them present. Furthermore, they do not depend merely on sight, but also on their ability to detect magic.**

Well, we can't just stand here and let them lynch him.

**Continue the duel. I shall concern myself with the matter meantime.**

Kyle turned back to Chubs and heaved a sigh; his exchange with Theoris had taken but an instant. "Then I guess we'd better get a move-on."

Chubs nodded somberly.

Kyle looked up at the immense monster. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Judge Man!"

The huge Blue-Eyes' mouth yawned open, and a great blast of white lightning spewed forth.

The streak of energy annihilated Chubs' Judge Man in an instant.

"I end my turn." _I wish it hadn't come to this_, Kyle groused. _I shouldn't have to use someone else's monsters to do my dirty work._

**You do what you must. It is hardly worse than what the magicians have done. You merely employ Duel Monsters... Duel Monsters you have come to know and respect. The magicians employ people, and against the will of those people.**

Kyle sighed. _Sorry, Theoris, but about now, I'm thinking it would have been a lot easier for me – and those people – if you had just let the Millennium Shield be destroyed._

**_...I do not blame you._**

Chubs had drawn, meantime, and was making his play. "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

The Swords of Revealing Light vanished from his field. Kyle snorted. _Yeah, right, like I need those now, anyway._

He drew his next card, then looked back up at the field. _Need to do this quickly._ "Blue-Eyes, attack his face-down monster!"

"Activate Waboku!" Chubs announced, and as Kyle's Waboku had done many turns earlier, a small task force of spellcasters appeared on the field and protected his monster from the blast of lightning.

"Darkfire Soldier #1 (1700/1150) is revealed," Chubs said.

His Darkfire Soldier was a burly individual with a large scimitar in hand. He was bent on one knee, his blond-haired head bowed.

Kyle felt a small measure of relief. He wouldn't have to destroy Chubs' defense – or worse, Chubs himself – just yet. "End turn."

Chubs drew his next card, spied it for a moment, then warily slid it into one of his m/t slots. "I place one magic/trap face-down and end my turn."

_Probably something like Waboku or Enchanted Javelin. But I can't very well not attack and let him get a chance to get the upper hand._ Kyle drew his next card, then ordered, "Blue-Eyes, attack Darkfire Soldier again!"

"Activate Dragon Capture Jar," Chubs calmly replied, and with that, the face-down he'd just played flipped up and revealed a massive pot bearing the face of a dragon. It emitted a purplish lightning bolt from the open top; the bolt struck Blue-Eyes and a purple aura was cast around the dragon. In response, Blue-Eyes landed and hunched over, its wings curling around it as if to protect itself.

Kyle cursed under his breath. _Now Blue-Eyes is going to stay in defense mode unless I find a way to destroy that Jar... or until Chubs finds a way to destroy Blue-Eyes._ "End turn."

Chubs drew, now safe – for the time being – from Blue-Eyes. "I play one monster face-down and end my turn."

Kyle slipped the next card from the top of his deck, and rolled his eyes. _This won't help much in the way of attacking, but..._ "I also place one monster face-down and end my turn."

"Suddenly things are rather uneventful," Chubs noted, as he drew. His expression changed, though, once he saw what he'd drawn. Kyle couldn't place the expression, but it seemed like Chubs had drawn something of particular significance.

"All right," said Chubs. "First, I play Pot of Greed." As the familiar green jar appeared on the field, he drew his next two cards as per its effect. "And then I play Spiritual Energy Settle Machine."

On the field, Chubs' Machine card wavered into existence. From the picture came forth a machine with a quadruplet of what appeared to be satellite dishes; however, it quickly became apparent that they were not dishes of that sort, as they began to discharge yellow energy bursts at random. Three were mounted on pylons, while the fourth sat at the base. Massive battery arrays festooned the pylons. The three that were mounted emitted crackling yellow streams that all intersected at a point directly above the center of the one at the base. The base was tightly chained to the ground.

Kyle narrowed his eyes. _That card's geared to anchor Spirit-subtype monsters to the field, otherwise they'd keep returning to his hand. He must have a Spirit monster waiting in the wings. And with two monsters on the field, he's got a sacrifice waiting to happen._

Chubs continued his move. "And now, I sacrifice my Darkfire Soldier #1 and my face-down Darkfire Soldier #2 (1700/1100) in order to place one monster face-down. That ends my turn."

Kyle frowned. _Face-down? That's not liable to do much good. As far as I know, Samantha was right; there's no double-sacrifice monster that can defend against a Blue-Eyes attack. He'd've done better to play it face-up._

"Oh! I almost forgot." Chubs held up the one remaining card he had in his hand and stuck it in his duel disk's graveyard slot. "I have to discard a card whenever I end my turn to keep my Machine active. So bye-bye, Mr. Volcano."

Kyle drew his next card and made his move, starting with the card he'd drawn. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Dragon Capture Jar."

A small, virtual tornado swept across the field and wrapped about the Jar. Lightning bolts from within the typhoon blasted the intricately carved pot out of existence.

"Now I switch Blue-Eyes back to attack mode," Kyle declared. Blue-Eyes took to the sky once again and roared in anticipation of its next meal. "Blue-Eyes, attack his face-down monster!"

Blue-Eyes' mouth stretched open and let loose a blast of boiling white energy. The energy struck the face-down card, washed over it...

The card flipped face-up quite abruptly, and a reddish beam of energy shot out at Kyle. The beam struck him in the chest; he felt a slight impact, and he paled. _My Life Points have taken damage!_

He quickly brought his left arm up and looked at his LP counter.

It was scrolling down to 50.

"But... I thought..." He looked up at Chubs. "I thought there weren't any dual-sacrifice monsters that could defend against a Blue-Eyes!"

"You thought wrong, my friend," said Chubs. "My Yamata Dragon (2600/3100) is revealed."

The monster on the card that had flipped was now in full view. It was a massive creature, covered in pulsating green scales. It seemed not to have a single body, but rather several of them. All were connected at some point beyond Kyle's view. Each slender "body" – of which Kyle counted seven – had a head atop it, and each head had its eyes and mouth closed; it seemed as though there was a great pile of massive anacondas sleeping atop each other. The separate necks writhed, however, even in sleep. A massive tail swung idly to the left.

Chubs smirked. "Yamata Dragon's the second rarest card I own. It's a Spirit monster with the mother of effects where the desperate duelist is concerned. When it deals battle damage to an opponent's Life Points, its controller is allowed to draw cards until he's got five in hand. And because Blue-Eyes attacked it, the damage inflicted to your Life Points is considered battle damage. Therefore..."

Chubs revealed both of his palms to Kyle; Mr. Volcano had been the last card in his hand last turn. He drew five new cards from the top of his deck and adopted an expression of someone much more comfortable with options present.

Kyle ground his teeth. _He was waiting for me to destroy Dragon Capture Jar so that I could attack with Blue-Eyes. He knew I'd want to attack with it. But there's nothing I can do now._ "End turn."

"So impersonal all of a sudden," said Chubs. "Don't be ashamed. Yamata Dragon's so rare that most people don't know it even exists. You couldn't have known. I never told you; I wanted to have a trump in case both of us went to the finals." He drew. "I play Dian Keto the Cure Master."

A chubby healer appeared on the field. It held a glowing orb in its thick hands, and the orb emitted a soft white beam directed toward Chubs.

His LP counter scrolled up 1000 points, bringing him up to 3150.

Kyle cursed. _And here I am, sitting on top of a measly 50 LP!_

"I also place one more magic/trap face-down. That ends my turn," Chubs said, almost jovially. "Oh, and by the way, I discard my Launcher Spider to keep Settle Machine in play, so Yamata Dragon stays right where I need it."

Kyle groused as he drew his next card. _He knows I can't do anything, not as long as his dragon's in defense mode. And I've got nothing to switch it; he's not liable to switch it, either. Moreover, there's nothing in my hand that'll do me any good!_ "I end my turn without playing anything."

"That's a shame," said Chubs. He drew.

Looked up at Kyle.

And smirked.

"I told you Yamata Dragon was my second rarest card. Now you can say hello to my rarest."

"Bring it on," Kyle said smoothly.

"I will, at that. This is an effect monster, and the effect is long-winded, so I hope you pay attention." Chubs held up the card for Kyle to see. "This card is called Lava Golem, and I don't get to play it to my side of the field. It has to go to yours."

Kyle blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. Come over here."

"That will not be necessary," the horseman interjected. He gestured towards the card Chubs was holding up.

The card was surrounded by a soft white aura, and before the duelists' amazed eyes, the card floated away from Chubs' hand and across the distance.

"Reach out your hand, Kyle McCraine," the horseman said.

Kyle obeyed, and the card deposited itself in his outstretched palm.

Chubs stared at the magician. "How did you do that?"

"Through the power I wield," the horseman responded. "My abilities... the abilities of my brethren... are considerable. You would do well to remember that."

Chubs blinked, but then glowered. "Fine, whatever." He turned back to Kyle. "Read it."

Kyle studied the card. The picture on the face showed a gargantuan semi-humanoid creature made entirely of magma, massive hands outstretched. Hanging from the base of its neck by a thick chain was a cage in which a person (presumably, a duelist) was trapped and desperately trying to pry the bars loose.

_This doesn't bode well_, he thought. He glanced at the level, then at the attack/defense factors. _Same as a Blue-Eyes. And the effect script is in four-point font, good lord... 'This monster must be Special Summoned on your opponent's side of the field by offering 2 monsters on your opponent's side of the field as a Tribute.'_

He glanced up at his field. _In this case, Blue-Eyes and my face-down._ He looked back at the card. _'This card inflicts 1000 points of Direct Damage to the Life Points of this card's controller during each of his/her Standby Phases. When you Special Summon this monster, you cannot Normal Summon or Set a monster during the same turn.'_

He looked back up at Chubs, his expression suddenly one of disbelief. "What?!"

Chubs' smirk grew wider. "Afraid so, Kyle. That's the monster I want to play. Don't let it be said I never gave you anything."

_I'm only at 50 Life Points! If this stays on my field, I'm a goner!_

"Play it, Kyle. Special Summon Lava Golem in attack mode by sacrificing Blue-Eyes and your face-down."

Kyle looked from the card to Chubs, then back to the card. _There's nothing I can do!_

**_You are wrong, Kyle. Have you forgotten your traps?_**

His eyes flitted to his field.

And he saw his two face-down traps.

**_If I am not mistaken, there is one trap present that can save you. You can no longer avoid its use. This is what it was meant for; this is the time to use it._**

Kyle closed his eyes and nodded.

"Fine," he said. "Fine. Blue-Eyes White Dragon and my face-down Mystical Elf (800/2000) are sacrificed to play Lava Golem (3000/2500) in attack mode."

On the field, the Lava Golem began to waver into existence. Chubs' smile grew wider, and Kyle could see it in the man's eyes... the look that said, _I'm going to win... I'm going to live!_

_I can't let him win. This stops here._

Kyle pressed a magic/trap activation button.

"Activate Solemn Judgment!" he shouted.

An old, gray sorcerer shimmered into being directly behind the still-shuddering, still-incomplete image of Lava Golem. The sorcerer brought up one hand, palm up, as if to command a sudden, immediate halt.

And the Lava Golem image began to fade.

Chubs' eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"No joke," said Kyle. "Solemn Judgment works in this instance since you're technically the one summoning the monster, not me. The downside of using it is that my remaining Life Points are cut in half and the monsters for Lava Golem's sacrifice don't come back. But at this point, I don't have much else to lose." He flashed his LP counter at Chubs.

"_25!_" Chubs exploded. "25 Life Points! That's not even skin-of-your-teeth! That's skin-of-your-_hair!_"

"And if I hadn't used it, you'd have won next turn," said Kyle. "I'm the first to admit it."

Chubs' glower rivaled that of a demon's. "Doesn't matter now. I switch Yamata Dragon to attack mode!"

The heads of Yamata Dragon all awakened at the same time. Fourteen blood-red eyes leveled their stares at Kyle, and seven vicious mouths split wide open to reveal fangs as long as Kyle's forearms.

"Yamata Dragon, attack what's left of his Life Points!"

Kyle shook his head sadly. "You're reacting in anger. That's why you won't win." He activated his remaining card. "Mirror Force!"

Chubs' eyes became saucers. "_NO!_"

Yamata Dragon's seven heads all fired reddish lightning at Kyle, but the strike was halted – and white streams of energy pierced the opposing monster.

Kyle looked on in satisfaction. _He can't bring that back; Spirits can't be Special Summoned. And he wouldn't dare revive Golem._

That reminded him of the Golem, which he'd taken off his field and was now holding in hand. He turned to the horseman. "Give this back to him; it's his monster, so it goes in his graveyard."

The horseman, for once, obliged Kyle and sent the card back to Chubs. The younger duelist, when he saw the card hovering in front of his face, snatched it angrily from midair and shoved it in his graveyard slot. "Thanks a lot, Kyle. You've just royally pissed me off. Do you want me to die?!"

"I want you to live, Chubs, make no mistake," Kyle said. "There's no point in your death. We both know that. It's not our fault if other people seem to have trouble figuring that out."

"Whatever," Chubs snapped. "My turn's finished, there's nothing more I can do. Since I don't have Yamata Dragon anymore, I'll let Settle Machine go, too."

With that, his Spiritual Energy Settle Machine vanished into the non-reality from whence it had come.

Kyle drew his next card, looked at it, and sighed slightly. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

The Blue-Eyes that had been destroyed last turn emerged from the Monster Reborn hologram on the field and roared, almost indignantly. Kyle found it almost amusing that Blue-Eyes would be indignant, but he supposed it would make sense; he decided that a monster with the sort of power it contained would probably not take kindly to being destroyed, most especially by being sacrificed.

Kyle surveyed Chubs' field. _One face-down m/t. Probably meant to stop an attack. But it's not like I have a choice. He wasn't expecting to have a bare field. Probably nothing worse than a Waboku._ "Blue-Eyes, attack his Life Points!"

Sure enough, Chubs activated his card, a trap they were both familiar with by now. "Activate Waboku. You'll have to do better than that to get me down."

Kyle scoffed. "True, that. End turn."

Chubs took a deep breath, savoring the air he was still being allowed. Both duelists knew it could be much worse. "You destroyed my best monsters, so I guess I'll have to take it from the top. I place one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down, and end my turn there."

Kyle drew. _The longer this goes on, the higher the risk of us being discovered. It wouldn't surprise me if Kaiba's been looking for his old cards all day._ "I play one monster face-down. Blue-Eyes, attack his face-down!"

Chubs' face-down monster, another Darkfire Soldier #1 (1700/1150), cringed under the attack and then vanished.

"Your move," said Kyle.

"And I'll make the most of it," Chubs answered as he drew. "I place another magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down. Back to you."

Kyle picked his cards carefully. _Any move might be my last._ "I place one monster face-down–"

"Activate Acid Trap Hole!" Chubs interrupted.

A crag in the earth containing a bubbling pool of acid appeared underneath the monster card Kyle had just played. Kyle rolled his eyes. _It doesn't have a defense higher than 2000, so it'll be destroyed, but..._ "My Magician of Faith (300/400) still gets her effect because she was flipped."

Nevertheless, Kyle's Magician shrieked as she fell into the acid pool, which subsequently sealed over.

"Put the effect to good use," Chubs mumbled.

Kyle selected the magic card he wanted from his graveyard and slipped it between the other cards in his hand. He looked back up at his field and wasted no time. "Blue-Eyes, attack!"

Blue-Eyes' energy blast wreathed Chubs' defensive Mysterious Puppeteer (1000/1500) and then blew it away without interference.

"As a follow-up," said Kyle, "I activate Heavy Storm."

For the third time, the holoprojectors fired lightning bolts to strike the magic/trap card on Chubs' side.

Chubs pressed an activation button. "I don't want my other Ultimate Offering card to go to waste, so I'll use it to pay 500 Life Points and place one monster face-down. _Now_ you can destroy it." His Life Points descended to 2650.

And destroy it, the lightning did; upon its activation, the card was annihilated.

"That ends my turn," said Kyle.

Chubs winced as he inspected his next card. He looked up at Kyle. "Just so you know... I've now run out of low-level monsters to summon to the field. That one, right there..." He indicated his face-down. "That's my last. We've played long enough. I just don't have anything left to give, there. And I'll sacrifice my Jigen Bakudan (200/1000) to place another monster face-down... and end my turn."

Kyle's shoulders sagged. _Yeah... we've played long enough. By all rights, I should be running out of low-levels really soon. This duel needs to end. Theoris, be ready for anything... and I do mean anything. This thing is still too close; it could go either way now._

**_Play, Kyle._**

Kyle drew his next card. "I place one magic/trap face-down, and then I flip my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) into attack mode."

Kyle's dark-robed Witch appeared and stared intently at Chubs and his face-down.

"Blue-Eyes, attack!"

Blue-Eyes' mouth let loose a blast of energy that enveloped the face-down.

"My Twin-Headed Fire Dragon (2200/1700) is destroyed," Chubs said softly. "And that leaves my field open."

"A Witch attack isn't a big thing for someone who's got the LP you do," said Kyle. "Don't be afraid of it. Not this turn. Witch of the Black Forest, attack his Life Points!"

With that order, his Witch of the Black Forest did something not even Blue-Eyes had been able to achieve – it scored a direct attack on Chubs.

The younger duelist staggered under the blow, and his Life Points fell to 1550.

"Your turn," said Kyle.

Chubs drew, hopelessness in his eyes.

But then he saw the card he'd drawn. And that hopeful spark returned.

"Kyle... it's been an honor to duel you," he said. His tone was sincere.

_Either he's giving up or he expects me to lose this turn. If that's a burn card..._

Chubs slid the card into a magic/trap slot, and for one terrifying moment, Kyle was sure he was going to see flames licking at him.

Chubs hit the activation button corresponding to that slot.

The card appeared on the field and flipped up.

It was a magic card.

"I activate Change of Heart!" Chubs announced.

The familiar half-angel half-demon shimmered onto the field.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, come to me!"

The Change of Heart creature bolted across the field and leaped head-on into Blue-Eyes, phasing right into its belly. Blue-Eyes obediently soared to Chubs' side of the field and growled at its former controller. Kyle didn't need to give the card to Chubs; Blue-Eyes was his for only one turn, at the end of which it would return to Kyle's control.

Chubs stared across the expanse and at his opponent. "I wish we'd gotten to see what our power was without having to resort to toying with a Blue-Eyes. But I guess that's the price we both pay for your stubbornness."

Kyle said nothing.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Witch of the Black Forest!"

The infamous white lightning attack burst from Blue-Eyes' mouth.

It streaked towards Kyle's Witch.

And then...

A force of miniature spellcasters surrounded Witch.

A translucent screen of protection was set up between the two monsters.

"Activate Waboku."

Chubs paled as the attack splashed harmlessly against the screen. "No..."

He looked desperately at his hand of cards... and it yielded no options to him.

There was no choice.

He had to give Blue-Eyes back, and there was no way for him to stop an attack next turn.

Kyle, with his pitiful 25 Life Points, was going to win.

He let his eyes drift closed, and he bowed his head. Softly, he said, "Your move."

Blue-Eyes floated back to Kyle's field, a growl ever-present in the back of its massive throat.

And as for Kyle... there was a lump in the back of his. _He's got nothing on his field. Nothing at all. Look at his face... he's accepted defeat. He's ready to die, even though he doesn't want to._

**He may not have to.**

_Are the magicians still making this duel invisible?_

**I sense them. They are indeed using their power. But as I told you before, trying to use it to our advantage would be extremely dangerous. I know not our chance for success. I do not estimate it is a good chance.**

Even a bad chance is better than no chance at all. We have to at least try.

**I do not mean to say I am unwilling to try. You are right; it is a deed that must be done. Draw your next card, and announce your attack. We shall make our attempt the moment the order escapes your tongue.**

_Okay..._ Kyle drew, and the back of his mind registered that the drawn card was Suijin. If the back of his mind was in control, he would have snorted and thought, _Now a Labyrinth Brother comes up, after all this time?_ He might have even considered sacrificing Blue-Eyes and his Witch in order to play it, just so that Chubs wouldn't have to face a lethal attack by a monster than Kyle didn't even consider to be his.

But it didn't matter, really. Suijin, Blue-Eyes, the end result was the same.

Chubs' Life Points would be reduced to zero in one strike.

"It really _has_ been an honor to duel you, Kyle," Chubs said again. "And it's been an honor to have you as a friend. I'm just sorry you couldn't be as good a friend as I thought you'd be."

_No... Chubs, don't say that..._

**Kyle, I know this pains you, but you must make the attack order. The chance to save him is slim, but it is present.**

How much of a friend am I...?

**He does not understand the power you hold, Kyle. He does not know the significance of the Millennium Shield. He focuses on your friendship because that is where his only measure of understanding lies.**

I should have told him...

**Yet you did not. If you consider this to be a mistake, turn your determination on making sure you shall correct it.**

"Yes," Kyle whispered. "Yes... I'll make it right..."

He looked up.

Everyone was waiting for him to make his choice.

He only had one choice.

And one choice was no choice.

No choice at all.

His expression became stern, his voice determined.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon," he ordered, "attack his Life Points directly."

Blue-Eyes' mouth opened, loosed its terrible wrath upon Chubs.

The number on Chubs' LP counter was plain for all to see.

0.

"Goodbye," Chubs whispered.

Kyle's Millennium Shield gleamed with golden fury. Beams lanced out from it, multiple streaks; all magicians present were struck.

_No. No goodbyes. Not now. Not ever._

Kyle felt the power flow through him, and he pushed off.

He raced forth, his mind focused on only one thing: saving his friend.

Eyes of Horus appeared on the magicians' foreheads.

The magicians shouted in confusion; they could no longer see Chubs or Kyle. Nor could they see each other.

They could not see a single thing. Kyle had cast them all into darkness by their own power.

The one that had been holding the catch release for the massive trap door beneath Chubs' feet suddenly let go of the rope and clutched at his eyes, shouting madly.

Kyle suddenly registered the horseman yelling something as he charged toward the gallows.

"Release the trap door, you fool! Listen; there are his footsteps! He approaches! Release it!"

And to his horror, Kyle realized that even though he had blinded the magicians, their ability to hear was still very much unencumbered. He moved even faster, and his charge would have made any sprinter proud... but Chubs was still a good ten yards away.

The magician that had dropped the release rope got to the deck of the platform and fumbled for it.

Eight yards.

His fingers reached the rope's fringe.

Five yards.

The fingers curled around the rope.

Three yards.

Time slowed down, almost to a crawl.

Kyle's feet were in shoes of lead. He was wading through peanut butter. But if only he could move faster, just a little faster...

_No...!_

The magician pulled the rope.

Chubs disappeared.

And the chain drew taut.

_Whkt-WHTSH!_

"_NOOO!_"


	18. Life Struggles

_A/N: Chapter 18. What more is there to say?_

Lumen: I doubt it's any consolation to say that the best (or worst) cliffhangers are yet to come... but I'll leave that up to you to decide. As for the duel, thanks! It took a lot of effort to make that work, in that last segment.

Mira: Good to hear from ya! Worked hard on that duel, so it's good to know it paid off. And you're starting to catch on to my style, aren't you? Hmm... will have to develop some new twists...

-------

Kyle screamed, barreled into the magician with the rope. He smashed the old man in the face with his shield and forced him to fall off the platform.

It all became a blur. Rage blinded him, cast a red curtain over his vision.

No... the red curtain couldn't be just over his eyes... the magicians shouted at the sight of it, too... they threw up their arms, their hands clawed at their eyes...

Kyle suddenly felt a split. That's the only way he could begin to describe it. A split in himself. Not a split like the one between himself and Theoris... but more like a rift, separating him. Cutting him in half. One part forced him to turn to the cable that still held Chubs, the cable that had drawn taut. His left eye stared up at the crossbar that bore the cable, sought out the grain to the wood; his left hand shot out and broke the crossbar with a single swift stroke. His left ear heard the sound of a body hitting the ground.

His right eye surveyed the magicians in cold fury. His right ear took pleasure in the sound of their outcries. His right foot caused him to jump down from the platform, and it kicked the magician he'd downed violently in the ribs.

His right arm came up, and the Millennium Shield glowed.

_You'll all go to Hell for this! I SWEAR!_

"_I SWEAR!_" he shouted.

And he sent them to a Hell more terrible than any of them could ever imagine.

All that was left behind were their blue cloaks.

The echoes of their shouts faded, leaving Kyle the only one standing.

Kyle slumped to his knees, in a mixture of exhaustion and despair. _No... I couldn't save him..._

**You do not know that, Kyle – he may yet live! Find him below and search for life within him!**

Kyle crept over to the edge of the gaping hole in the deck made by the trap door.

Chubs lay motionless on the ground nearly six feet below. His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly ajar. The chain had dug in around his neck, the padlock on it right behind the base of his skull.

Kyle felt tears spring into his eyes. A lump formed in his throat and deprived him of breath. _My God..._

He swung his legs over the edge and let himself fall to the ground beside Chubs.

_He's so still..._

Kyle reached out with two fingers, not even daring to hope that–

_There's a pulse! He's still alive!_

**_Seek out medical attention!_**

Kyle reached out to Chubs, to try and heft him onto his back, but Theoris stopped him. **_Do not move him! Did you not pay attention in your health classes? Injuries to the neck and spinal column may be severely aggravated if you attempt to move the victim! Find medical attention first, and immediately!_**

Kyle stumbled to his feet, climbed out of the pit, and searched wildly for a telephone.

--

A team of EMTs arrived on the scene almost instantly, and they had to cut a hole in the side of the platform in order to move Chubs out; they didn't want to lift him any more than absolutely necessary. They carefully put a neck brace on him and strapped it on tightly, then took him to the hospital. Kyle followed them on his motorcycle.

Kyle was held by the local police force for at least an hour and a half explaining what had happened. Of course, he couldn't tell them the whole story, so instead, he told them only as much as could be corroborated by Chubs. He had been told by a group of men to come to the abandoned building; when he came, he discovered that Chubs had been abducted and strung up into the gallows; in the process of trying to stall for time, he'd accepted the men's demands and dueled Chubs; he'd won the duel and tried to save Chubs, but the men were too fast for him; then, in their haste to avoid police detection, they ran off, not even bothering to pick up their cloaks.

Even Kyle had to admit that last statement sounded unlikely – especially since he knew it to be a bald-faced lie – but for the police, it was much more credible than the truth. Still, the interrogating officer eyed him warily as he took notes.

After what seemed like an eternity, the officer said, "We are finished here. We will contact you if we have any more questions for you. Do you have any questions, before you leave?"

Kyle nodded. "Has Mr. Smith's condition been determined?"

"When he was brought in, he was in critical condition. With an injury to the neck, I do not imagine that condition has changed in the last two hours. The doctors have determined, however, that Mr. Smith's neck has not been broken. That is no small miracle. If he had fallen any further, even so much as two centimeters, it would have been." The officer beheld Kyle with a measure of sympathy. "The best are caring for him even now. But you should know that he may not live."

Kyle looked down at the table and nodded dismally. "I didn't want to duel, not like that."

"No one could blame you for wishing not to fight. I do not yet understand what these men hoped to gain by forcing this upon you. Would they not have demanded something of you in the event of your loss?"

Kyle winced mentally. This was a question he'd been avoiding the entire time. "They didn't tell me. They implied all sorts of things. My deck..." He fingered the Millennium Shield, which had returned to the chain around his neck. "My life."

The last was not entirely a lie. The magicians didn't seem to care much for Kyle's life, and he had no doubt that given the chance, if they were to take the shield, they would do away with him to make sure he never interfered with them again.

"A life for a life," the officer mused. "In which case, it was even more important that you fought." He thought on this a moment longer, then refocused on Kyle. "Have you any further questions?"

"Actually, I do have one. Where is Mr. Smith's duel disk?"

The officer's eyes narrowed. "Is that your business?"

"It is. I have a receipt for the duel disk." This was true; each of them had been given a copy of the receipt.

"Duel disks were given out freely for the Battle City tournament."

Kyle fished around in his pockets, then remembered he'd put the receipt in his wallet. He handed the slip of paper to the officer. "We obtained our duel disks together. This receipt has the serial numbers of each disk obtained. One of them belongs to another friend of ours. I have the second one. His is the third; where is it?"

The officer inspected the receipt a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I recognize that number. We have the duel disk, along with its separate components and the deck of cards within it. Do you wish for us to return it to you?"

"Is there a problem in that matter?"

The officer shook his head. "No. We have already dusted it for fingerprints, and I can assure you that it was not tampered with in any fashion. Kaiba-san took great care in ensuring the security of the duel disk technology."

"In that case, I would like it returned to me as soon as possible."

"Allow me to retrieve it from the evidence locker. Then you may go."

Kyle nodded. The officer left the room.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and sighed. _This is unbelievable. I just... I can't believe this is happening. Chubs might die? Even after we did our best to try to save him?_

**_Kyle, he yet lives. And he may yet continue to live._**

I can't focus on that... and I want to. But how can I focus on his chances of living when I was the one who caused there to be a chance that he would die?

**How do you mean? It was I who angered the magicians first. It was I who protected the Millennium Shield from its destruction so long ago. It was I who stayed with the shield until this day. If the fault should go to one of us, let that one be me. If I had allowed the Millennium Shield to be destroyed, none of this would have happened. But I choose not to dwell on the fact that he may die. Most people have died, you know. Everyone dies. Even I have died.**

Well, Chubs doesn't exactly have a convenient Millennium item to put himself inside, now, does he? Kyle snapped mentally. _You haven't died, Theoris, you've cheated death. Your essence remains intact within the shield. Does it matter that your flesh has become dust and that your bones rattle against those of your brethren back in that cave? You are here. What scares me is that, at any time, Chubs might no longer be here._

**_...and you blame me for this?_**

I don't need to. You've already done a pretty good job of blaming yourself for it. But if he dies, Theoris... if he dies, I...

"...won't be able to forgive either of us," Kyle finished aloud, his voice barely a whisper.

**_Yourself, Kyle?_**

"For not being fast enough," Kyle whispered. "If I'd moved faster..."

**_No, Kyle. You could not have moved any faster. If you could have, you would have. I am to blame for all of this misery. Do not blame yourself._**

Why did you do it, Theoris? Why did you save the Millennium Shield? You had to know that it was necessary... you have to have realized that, even while you were doing it. Didn't you? Didn't you realize it?

**I did. But the shield has a will of its own, and it did not – and still does not – wish to be destroyed. It created some sort of instinct of preservation within me. I felt as if there was no other option. I wanted to fight it. I tried to. But it overwhelmed me.**

And now, because the shield wants to exist, our fates are intertwined. Yours, mine, the shield's... what happens to one of us affects the other two. Kyle bowed his head. _I'd take back the life I once knew if it meant Chubs would be safe. I'd take it all back. I'd have let Shadi have the shield if I'd known what was going to happen today._

**_And that is why you can still call yourself his best friend._**

Silence reigned over their link for the time being. A few moments later, the officer came back into the room carrying Chubs's collapsed duel disk, and he offered it to Kyle. "You have our word that we have confiscated nothing from it."

"I believe you," said Kyle, accepting the disk. "Thank you."

The officer bowed politely. "You may leave."

Kyle got to his feet and exited the interrogation room, then breathed the cool air. He sighed, his body mollified. _It was getting hot in there._

He made his way through the station, went out the front door.

And almost smacked head-on into someone.

"Sorry," Kyle mumbled, glancing up only briefly to see the face of the person he'd bumped.

That person was wearing a long white overcoat and an irritated expression. His rough voice uttered brisk, accented English. "You had best be apologetic."

Kyle glared and gave the person another look.

His eyes widened. "You."

Seto Kaiba chuckled. "Yes, me. Who did you expect, Mr. McCraine?"

"Not you," Kyle answered, his eyes narrowing. "My sincere apologies. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He stepped around Kaiba and descended the front stairs. Kaiba called out after him. "Not so fast, McCraine. You have something I want."

"So what?" Kyle scoffed, not even turning to face Kaiba. He was eager to get away from the ruthless boy billionaire before he could challenge Kyle to a duel. _The last thing I need is him pestering me about the Blue-Eyes cards._

The Blue-Eyes cards! Kyle blinked as he realized that Chubs had told him he'd been given a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. _Maybe they're in his duel disk? He said he wanted to use Cyber-Stein, so Ultimate has to be here somewhere... what about the White Dragon?_

"McCraine!" Kaiba called out. "Don't turn your back on me. I'm the reason you're here. Show a little more respect."

Kyle twisted around. "I know what you want, Kaiba. But I'm not interested in dueling you right now. I have other things I need to take care of."

"'Other things'?" Kaiba chuckled again. "The only reason you're even in Japan is because of this tournament, and you have 'other things' that demand your attention? How convenient that as soon as I approach you, your thoughts turn to matters besides that which you flew halfway across the world for."

He stepped down from the stairs to face Kyle at eye level. "Or perhaps you fear me? And that is as it should be. I _am_ the world's best duelist, as you well know."

"You _were_," Kyle corrected. "Until Yugi Motou. Duel _him_. That way, you can reclaim your glory. You've got no business with me."

Kaiba glowered. "I will most assuredly be dueling Yugi. He has already obtained six locator cards, as have I, and so we will be going to the finals."

"Then you'll meet me there," said Kyle. He pulled his locator cards from a storage slot in his duel disk and revealed them to Kaiba. "Until then, I'm not going to duel you."

"Impressive," Kaiba remarked, in such a tone that Kyle knew he didn't find it impressive at all. "Nevertheless, I wish to challenge you before the finals. The winner takes all of the loser's locator cards and every card in the loser's deck."

"Forget it," Kyle said. He turned and started walking towards the hospital.

"Refusing a challenge is a violation of Battle City rules," Kaiba noted.

"And so is trying to nab my entire deck over one duel. The rules don't state that I give up my rare cards for refusing. If you want the Blue-Eyes White Dragons, you're not going to kick me out of the tournament."

"Those are _my_ cards, McCraine," Kaiba growled. "They were stolen from me. I have primary rights to them."

"You can't prove your ownership of a Duel Monsters card," Kyle responded. "No legitimate court on this planet would convict me of a crime for winning the Blue-Eyes cards in this tournament. I did so in a fair manner. Winners, keepers; losers, weepers. I'm sorry they were stolen, but there's nothing I can do about that. They don't belong to you anymore. Besides, I imagine there are a lot more stolen cards out there, and you're not the least bit concerned with those."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "You had better be at the finals, McCraine."

He turned and stalked off.

Kyle blinked. _That was abrupt. I must've hit a nerve._

**Perhaps.**

He shrugged, then made for the hospital. _Gotta check up on Chubs._

--

There was no news. Kyle wasn't surprised. He didn't really expect there to be. Chubs' life was teetering on the edge of a razor blade, Kyle knew that.

And there was nothing he could do.

He wanted to pound the wall in frustration, but he restrained himself. _It does me no good to break my knuckles._ Instead, he slumped down into a seat in the lobby, Chubs's duel disk cradled in his lap.

Kyle felt guilty in picking through Chubs' cards, but he already knew what most of them were. _Or, at least... I think I do..._ He pulled the few cards that constituted the remainder of Chubs's deck – those that hadn't been in his hand or sent to the graveyard in their duel – and glanced through them. Most were high-level Fire-Type monsters... Ryu-Ran (2200/2600), Mr. Volcano (2100/1300), others. There were a couple of nondescript magic and trap cards at the very bottom, but there was no sign of a Blue-Eyes.

Kyle rocked his head to one side. _Maybe he had it on him? Maybe it's in his pockets or something. Won't be able to get to it, in that case._ Despite these thoughts, he continued to search, first through the graveyard – _he's discarded cards he felt he didn't need before_ – and then through the RFG slot – _only the cards he sent there deliberately during the duel._

He sighed and opened the fusion deck slot. _I can at least retrieve the Ultimate Dragon._ But when his fingers touched the card, he felt an edge and another card below it. He blinked. _Two cards? He never keeps a fusion deck, not even with Cyber-Stein... he thought that was a stupid card, anyway..._

Intrigued, he pulled the two cards out.

They were exactly what he was looking for.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon cards gleamed at him, their holographic pictures glinting under the light. Kyle's heart pounded as he stared at them... first at the White Dragon, then at the Ultimate Dragon. _Unbelievable. And I thought Gate Guardian had power... it couldn't touch this monster even if it was in defense mode!_

**You shall need it, Kyle.**

Why? I've met the magicians' demands. I've dueled the three people they assigned to stop me, and I won all three duels.

**They will undoubtedly have more. And once they hear of the disappearances of their brethren, it is unlikely they will relent in their drive to find difficult decisions for you to make. Keep in mind that they still hold Monica captive.**

Yeah, well, if she hears I've got the Blue-Eyes cards, I'll bet she'll be so mad she'll escape the magicians on her own just to get the cards back. Kyle tucked Chubs's duel disk under his arm, got up, walked over to the nearest window, and stared through it for several moments. _Seems like everyone's been consistently after my cards. The magicians, Kaiba, Jade..._

His eyes darkened. _Jade. I'll bet she's here. This is one of the biggest gatherings of duelists, and there're rare cards galore here. Besides which, she's obsessed with my Labyrinth Brothers._

**Enough to fly all this way?**

I flew all this way, too, and I'm not nearly as obsessed. All I came here for was to try to have a little fun, but instead... this.

**And now the magicians torture us instead of the other bearers of the Millennium items.**

But because they can't overpower us physically, they're trying to break me psychologically. Kyle sighed. _And it may cost Chubs his life. Unbelievable._

At that moment, a loud squealing noise blared from one of the rooms beyond. Papers shuffled and doctors and nurses virtually ran through the hallways. Words were being spoken in Japanese; Kyle couldn't make them out, but he thought he heard "Smith" in the gibberish.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment, trying to find it in him to even utter a single prayer for Chubs. _Don't die..._

His breath shuddered, and he quickly moved outside. The emotion was too much for him. He didn't want to make a scene. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. _I need to be doing something. Something to distract me._ He glanced down at his hand, which still bore Chubs' duel disk. He snorted mentally. _He won't need this, and it's a burden for me right now._

He carefully removed all of the cards from Chubs' duel disk – he'd already taken the single locator card it had been equipped with. _Man, Chubs... your first and only Battle City duel was against me? That's not fair at all..._ He placed the cards in his pocket and made sure the pocket was buttoned. Then he sought out his motorcycle, which was in a parking deck next to the police station; the trek took him above five minutes, and when he arrived, he put the duel disk into one of the storage compartments.

All of this was done on automatic, it seemed, because the next thing he knew, he was back at the hospital, wondering what on Earth was happening with Chubs. The alarm had stopped, but nurses and doctors alike were still moving about quite quickly through the hall.

Just staring at them, he found himself getting teary-eyed again, and he turned quickly around and left. _This was a mistake..._

He looked around for some sort of off-road or alley he could take and just escape into. _I just need to get away from everything for a few moments..._ He found an alleyway about half a block from the hospital, and in a slight panic, he ran towards it, stopping short once he reached the gap between the buildings.

Kyle trudged into the narrow passage. At the other end of the passage was a larger, central alley, but he didn't make a move toward it. He just needed a place to stand and think.

He closed his eyes tightly and felt his knees grow weak. His stomach, too. _I can't believe this is happening... this is... oh, God, this can't be happening. Theoris, tell me this is a dream._

Theoris's voice was comforting, but the words he spoke provided no comfort. **_I am afraid I cannot, Kyle. To my knowledge, this is as real as one can get._**

But how?! Why are they doing this to me? What have I done to them? This is all so stupid!

**I know, Kyle... I know.**

Kyle slammed his fist against the wall. "Damn!" he muttered.

His breath shuddered out of him, and he felt himself on the verge of despairing. _I've got no idea what to do. I can't help Chubs, I can barely help Monica... both of them may die at the drop of a hat, and there's so little I can do. No choice._

"No choice," he repeated aloud.

He turned his head this way and that, as if searching for an escape route.

And that was when he saw her standing there.

_I knew it..._

She was leaning against the wall, and though her posture suggested relaxation, her face showed anxiousness. "Are you all right?" she asked.

He felt too spent to even be irritated at her for approaching him. He shook his head. "No... no, I'm not."

Her brow furrowed, but she looked unsurprised by his answer. For several moments, there was silence, and finally she said, "You need to get up."

"Why?" he asked, his voice full of misery.

"Because I need you at the height of your game when we duel."

He rose to his feet and glowered at Jade upon her statement. "Damn it, Jade, is that all you care about?!" he snapped. "I'm about to lose two friends over some _stupid _card game, and all you care about is my Gate Guardian pieces? Where did your humanity go?!"

"If it's so stupid, why are you still wearing that duel disk?" she countered. "And I know your friend is in the hospital, Kyle, so don't play superior to me. I know you happen to think I'm some sort of ruthless monster, but at least I wasn't the one looking like I wanted to cry alone in the alley just a few moments ago." Jade met his glare with one of her own. "I'm sorry to hear he's in bad shape, but whatever is going on with you right now isn't going to be resolved by curling up in a ball and hiding from the world, or wishing it would all go away, like a bad dream!"

Kyle's glare only deepened. _If she wasn't a girl, I'd have fewer reservations about belting her one right here and now!_

_**That would not help matters, Kyle, no matter her gender**_, Theoris sternly informed the teen. **_Deal with it, as you so quaintly put it. Besides which, Monica said almost those same words to you not so long ago._**

**__**Thanks for the support. "Have you ever felt the need to curl into a ball?" Kyle asked. "Seriously. You told me your fairy-tale ending came back to bite you in the ass. Sounds like an ideal time to do that, to me. Everyone does it. I'm taking my time. So lay off."

He released a sigh after a moment. "And as for my duel disk... if I could, I'd take it off right now and forget about this entire tournament. I might even give you the pieces, if it'd help... at least you would take care of them, respect them. But that's not an option."

Jade held up her left arm, showing him her own duel disk. "Well, turning down a challenge isn't an option, either. If you do, you're out of Battle City once you get reported, and you know it."

"I don't need to be reminded of that rule," he grated. "Tell me what you want, already."

"Whoever wins takes the Gate Guardian set."

Kyle pursed his lips and glared at her. For several moments, he considered giving her a counter-offer.

****

No, Kyle.

Why not? My three pieces to her one? How fair is that?

**It is not a matter of fairness, it is a matter of closure. No matter the outcome of a battle with such stakes, she will stop harassing you for Gate Guardian. If she loses, she will not have the material necessary to defeat you; if she wins, you will slip beyond her interest. Accept the challenge. Fate will decide which way the battle shall go.**

I don't believe in fate.

**I do. And I find that it is enough that I believe for both of us.**

Kyle breathed deeply, released his breath, then breathed in again. "Fine. If only to get you off my back. I accept. I've got six locator cards; are we putting any of those up, as well?"

Jade chuckled and held up six of the gleaming, transparent cards so coveted by the duelists that had gathered here. "I think we're both set on locator cards, Kyle, so that won't be necessary. This is purely for rights to the Gate Guardian. We can duel right here, unless you prefer to find a noisy crowd somewhere."

Kyle scoffed quietly. "The alley will do just fine, thank you." He paced down the passage and into the alley, which was basically a large – albeit almost completely enclosed – space among several commercial buildings.

With a press of the activation button, the holoprojectors shot out on either side of Jade, coming to a stop before they hit the walls on either side. "This seems to be a pattern, but since I challenged you, you choose your start."

"I'll go first this time," Kyle answered, firing holoprojectors from his own duel disk. He drew his first five cards, inspected them a moment, then looked up at her. "Before we start, though, I need to know something. No matter the outcome of this duel... will you leave me alone after, if I ask?"

She paused, apparently thinking out her answer. "If I win, then you won't ever hear from me again. If you win... then I no longer have reason to be around, do I? So... yes, I will. I guess these are what you could consider 'ultimate stakes'." She grinned. "Ready?"

Kyle drew his sixth card, then made his move.


	19. Ultimate Stakes I

_A/N: Part 1 of Kyle's final duel against Jade. How will it turn out? Two people know: myself, and this duel's generous co-writer Ankhutenshi. I owe a huge shout out to her, without whom I don't think the duel or the writing would have been nearly as good. Now, on with the battle!_

Lumen: Well, you'll just have to see for yourself who wins, then. Resolutions don't come easily, and neither did this duel... even with Ankhutenshi co-writing, we must have tried it at least half a dozen times before coming up with a satisfactory result, both to us and the story.

-------

Kyle's LP - 4000

Jade's LP - 4000

--

"I place three magic/trap cards face-down, and one monster in defense mode," he announced. "That'll end my turn."

"Very well," Jade said, more to herself than to him, once she drew her card. "I'll place two cards and then summon a monster in defense." She grinned at him. "Don't let the pressure get to you."

"What pressure?" he asked blithely. "It's only the first turn, enemy mine."

She grinned wickedly at him. "You're forgiven. End of my turn."

He rolled his eyes as he drew his next card. "One more defensive monster for me. End turn."

Jade drew, smiled, and then replaced her face-down monster for another one. "I'll sacrifice my face-down for another monster and end my turn."

Kyle drew again, surveyed his hand for a moment, then rolled his eyes once more. "Yet another monster face-down. Goody, I have tribute fodder." He didn't sound particularly enthused. "End turn."

"That you do," she agreed, looking at the card she had just drawn and sounding equally non-enthused. "But I'm not really worried. In fact, I end my turn without playing a card."

"Quite the confident one," he noted, drawing as he spoke. "One more monster face-down, and that ends my turn."

"You, of all people, should know I'm never confident without reason to be," she countered. "One card face-down. Your turn."

He felt no actual humor in the situation, but he still smirked evilly as he drew. "Are we having fun yet?"

"I would be if you would get on with it," she chided.

"Usually I'd have a smart remark to counter that, but I think I'll let my cards talk for me. I play Heavy Storm. No trap cards for either of us."

"And I counter with Imperial Order. No magic cards for either of us. Particularly magic cards that destroy other m/t's. Nice try."

Just as Kyle's Heavy Storm appeared on the field, Jade's Imperial Order flipped face-up and blasted a lightning bolt at the magic card. Kyle's card was blown apart, but only partially to his dismay. _Now she'll lose 700 Life Points every turn she keeps it out, and meanwhile, I keep the traps I set. _"Fine, then. I flip Sangan (1000/600) to attack mode."

The monster card to his left turned up, and a pumpkin-shaped creature with greenish limbs and splotchy hair wavered into existence.

Jade grinned. "Fine, then I'll counter with another trap, to offset the cost of Imperial Order in the coming turns. Activate Solemn Wishes – I'm sure you remember her."

"I do, indeed," he responded. He narrowed his eyes at the Solemn Wishes representation. _And now she'll only lose 200 Life Points per turn, as long as she keeps drawing._ "What fond memories they are, too. Guess that just means I'll have to work harder to take out your Life Points. Next I flip Wall of Illusion (1000/1850) to attack mode."

On Sangan's right, Kyle's Wall appeared. Theoris emitted a wave of surprise. **_Kyle, that monster is not any stronger than Sangan._**

True, it's not really meant for attack, but its effect comes in handy, no matter what position it's in. Kyle watched Jade. "This may be one of the most reckless plays in existence, but if there's anything I've learned about dueling you, it's that I have to take chances. Sangan, attack the monster she just played!"

Sangan rolled forth – in that strange manner it moved – and thrust a fist down through the monster card.

"Careful," she laughed. "That's a strategy that'll come back to bite you in the end, being reckless." Nevertheless, her card became the holographic image of a stage-magician, who vanished a second later. "My White Magical Hat (1000/700) is destroyed," she noted.

"Then, apparently, being reckless has its rewards," Kyle commented. "And now to push my luck. Wall of Illusion, attack her remaining monster!"

The mask-like face adorning the center of the wall made of flesh and bone suddenly came to life. Its eyes blazed with power, and it opened its mouth. Three dark energy beams – two from the eyes, one from the mouth – emitted from it and blasted out at Jade's face-down monster.

Jade crossed her arms as the figure of a crouched, humanoid creature was revealed. "And my Illusionist Faceless Mage (1200/2200) easily withstands your attack – and knocks a piece of your Life Points out, too. Hey, Kyle, a friendly reminder – you're supposed to take out _my_ Life Points."

He grunted as he was deprived of 1200 Life Points, taking him down to 2800. "Now I know what it is, at the very least. That's the reward. I'll end my turn there."

"Some reward. Too many more of those and I won't even have to try." She drew her card. "Solemn Wishes gives me 500 LP, which brings Imperial Order's cost down to a measly 200 LP a turn." She slipped a card into one of the empty slots on her Duel Disk. "One more card face-down, and I end my turn."

Kyle drew. "Oh, what, you're worried about not even getting the chance to hit me yourself? Sorry if I'm depriving you." He scoffed, then made his play. "One monster in defense mode, and then I switch Wall of Illusion to defense mode, as well. That ends my turn."

**_Kyle, you left your Sangan in attack mode?_**

She's not going to attack it. She knows better. Sangan is safe.

She rolled her eyes but made no comment as she drew her next card, and then immediately set it onto the disk while her LP scrolled down another 200 points. "One monster face-down. Back to you."

He drew his next card. "Hm. All right. I sacrifice Sangan to play Millennium Golem (2000/2200) in attack mode." As the creature of brick emerged onto the field, Kyle pulled his deck out of its slot and searched through it for a monster to fulfill Sangan's effect. "I don't know if you're familiar with Golem, but it's done wonders for me."

Jade gave it a frank look, and stated bluntly, "It looks like an oversized stack of building blocks gone wrong."

Kyle offered a wry smirk. "If you say so. I'm willing to bet it's still more powerful than your face-down. Speaking of which... Golem, attack her face-down monster."

"That it is," she agreed, as a dark-haired female monster was revealed before disintegrating, "but my Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) works for my favor from the grave anyway." She pulled her deck from its slot and thumbed through it.

Kyle scratched his chin and idly fingered his pendant. "That ends my turn."

Jade pinched her hand in two fingers so she could shuffle her deck, then replaced it into the disk's holding piece. With that done, she drew again for her turn and lost another 200 LP. "I'll play one monster face-down, and that will end my turn," she announced, smiling. "Care to try your luck again?"

Kyle drew his next card and chewed his lip for a moment. "No, I think I'll pass this turn."

"Not losing your nerve, I hope." She frowned as she drew, her Life Points arriving at 3200. "I'll play another monster in defense, and end my turn."

"Losing my nerve?" Kyle raised an eyebrow as he drew. "Not really. I'm racking up my hand just in case you wipe my field. I know you can do that; you've done it before. But if you insist... I place one card face-down, like so." A face-down Duel Monsters card appeared at his feet. "And then Millennium Golem will attack the monster you just played."

Jade's face transformed into a triumphant smirk. "Come out, my Stern Mystic (1500/1200)! Let's get a good look at the field!"

Kyle narrowed his eyes and harrumphed slightly, as most of his field was face-down. His monsters – Aqua Madoor (1200/2000), Kotodama (0/1600), and Spirit of the Harp (800/2000) – appeared for a few seconds, followed by his magic card Riryoku and his trap cards The Eye Of Truth, Waboku, and Magic Jammer. "You have a habit of finding things that other people don't necessarily want found. Now show me what you've got."

"It's a gift," she said sweetly, "and a useful one at that. I've got nothing that needs hiding." Her face-down monster was revealed to be Mystical Elf (800/2000), and her back row contained A Feint Plan and a Seven Tools of the Bandit.

He sighed slightly. _Okay, well, that does me little to no good. Except that I know if I play a trap, she'll counter it. And without Heavy Storm, that Seven Tools is going to stick around a while._ "Over to you, then."

She nodded once. "With that helpful look at your field, I'll let Imperial Order expire, so I can reap the full benefits of Solemn Wishes," she illustrated, gaining 500 more LP as she drew her next card. "I'll place one card face-down, and then sacrifice my two monsters for blue Dark Magician (2500/2100)!"

Holographic swirls took away her Mystical Elf and Illusionist Faceless Mage, and the powerful blue-robed sorcerer appeared in their place, holding his battle staff at the ready. "That will end my turn."

Kyle blinked in surprise. "No attack? We both know you'd be able to counter my Waboku."

"Why waste it so quickly?" she asked, giving him a grin. "I can take care of myself, Kyle. Let me duel."

He drew and shrugged. "Who am I to argue?" He chewed his lip and nodded at the card he'd drawn. "I switch Millennium Golem to defense mode, and then equip it with the Horn of Light, to boost his defense to 3000. Well beyond your Magician's tolerance level."

The Horn of Light appeared on the Golem in the center of its chest – presumably because there was no room on its head. Golem knelt down in a defensive pose. "That's the end of my turn."

Jade drew, and her LP scrolled up to 4200. Then she looked at the card she had drawn and chuckled, putting it into her disk. "I'll play Dian Keto for another 1000 LP, which gives me 5200 total. Your move."

Kyle drew his next card, and his eyes widened somewhat. _Should I play this?_

**It is your decision, Kyle. I would suggest that you do, as it possesses a higher attack strength than her Magician.**

Still, this is Monica's card. It's almost sacrilegious.

**I cannot make the decision for you, Kyle. You must decide for yourself.**

...You know, your nobility is a trifle annoying at times.

**My apologies. But I believe you have more important things to worry about.**

True. He sighed and looked up at Jade. "I guess you were aware I have monsters more powerful than the Brothers."

Jade raised an eyebrow, inviting him to continue, but said nothing aloud.

"Perhaps not necessarily more renowned, but more powerful. Well, here's something that fits into both categories. And I need a free space in my magic/trap field. That said, I sacrifice Millennium Golem and my face-down Aqua Madoor... to play Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500) in attack mode."

The ivory dragon rose up onto the field over the vanishing essences of the sacrificial monsters and let out an ear-splitting roar.

"You...?" Jade gasped, her eyes widening. She took a half-step back at the appearance of the enormous creature. "_You_ have Kaiba's Blue-Eyes?"

"For the moment. This one, anyway," Kyle answered. "But he lost ownership of them a while back, as I'm sure you heard. Whether stolen or not, they're not his anymore." He pressed one of his magic/trap activation buttons. "And that's not all. I also play the magic card Riryoku, to cut your Magician's attack power in half and add it to Blue-Eyes."

A pair of energy-imbued tentacles whipped out of the Riryoku card, one toward Dark Magician and the other toward Blue-Eyes. Magician began to sag in midair, suddenly looking much less powerful. His armor began to fade and rust, as his attack power sank to 1250. Meanwhile, Blue-Eyes seemed to grow only larger, and its neon blue eyes blazed with the power boost that took it up to 4250.

Kyle's heart leaped to his throat as the words came out. _I shouldn't be saying this, but..._ "Blue-Eyes, attack Dark Magician!"

Weakened and facing a much more powerful creature, Jade's Dark Magician did not withstand the blast for more than a half second before shattering into holograph sparkles. The simulated force of the explosion knocked her back another step, and her Life Point counter scrolled quickly, trying to keep up with the damage, having lost 3000 LP in one fell swoop.

He emitted a sigh. "All right, that ends my turn."

Jade drew her next card and looked at it.

Then she did something very unexpected... she started laughing.

_Damn it, she's got a way to come back._

**One would think that to be the case.**

Kyle crossed his arms and sighed. "I'm almost afraid to ask what you've got, Jade. You know it's good, which means I know it's good."

"No argument here," she smirked. "I draw and collect my 500 LP, and then play Miga, Dark Elf (2000/800) in attack mode. Then I equip her with the magic card Megamorph, which will double her attack power!"

Kyle raised an eyebrow at the name she'd given her Dark Elf, but he wasn't going to argue with her on it. _I know this isn't going to do any good, but if I can shave off a few more of her Life Points..._ "I activate Magic Jammer to stop Megamorph, and discard Morphing Jar from my hand to accommodate the cost."

"And as you knew I would, I counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit," she responded, her LP dropping another thousand points.

"Fair enough. But you know what else I have on my field," he said.

"Waboku? I do indeed. That's precisely why I laid this in a previous turn. Activate the magic card Spiritualism!"

A myriad of skeletal ghosts appeared upon Jade's command. Jade ordered, "Send Kyle's Waboku back to his hand." She grinned at her opponent. "Since this card can't be countered by anything, my attack will go through, and your Blue-Eyes is doomed."

He sighed as he pulled his Waboku off the field._ Great. Guess I should kiss Blue-Eyes good-bye. Oh, well. It served well._

"Dark Elf, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Dark Elf was perhaps only 1/4 the size of the creature she was attacking, but that apparently made little difference, especially considering the glowing circle of runes that had appeared around her – the visual representation of the Megamorph card. She pressed her hands together, as if in prayer, and the very air around her seemed to shimmer and crackle with power.

A sphere of dark energy appeared over her head. She reached up and jammed her fingers into it, then hurled it at Blue-Eyes.

The sphere blew a hole straight through the massive dragon, and Blue-Eyes crumpled where it stood. The ground was saved from the impact only by the impeccable timing of the holoprojectors, which chose that particular moment to make it vanish... leaving Kyle's monster field that much less adorned.

Jade grinned triumphantly at where the dragon had stood. "Down goes the legendary Blue-Eyes," she commented. "If I'd known they'd be that easy, I might have made it over here sooner to challenge Kaiba."

"I'm sorry I didn't have a Brother in my hand for you to face," Kyle sneered. "And you lose yet another thousand Life Points for that attack, so we're in the same boat where LP loss is concerned. And five thousand within one full turn is no small loss."

"No," she agreed, "but the duel is still going, and for all your 'devastating' attack, I'm still here. Your move."

He made a grumbling noise as he drew. _True, she's still here. I might have played that out a lot better._ "I play Swords of Revealing Light."

Jade scowled. "And it looks like you're stalling for time."

As the swords of light stabbed down on her field and around her, he surveyed his hand another moment. "It's only a matter of time until your Solemn Wishes takes your LP higher than mine, at which point, your Dark Elf's base attack power will get cut in half. I place one monster face-down, and end my turn."

**_She has a point, Kyle. You are stalling, to a point._**

Hey, whose side are you on, anyway?

Jade drew, allowing her Life Points to increase as per Wishes. "True, but Miga has already served her purpose. Maybe I'll just sacrifice her for something stronger, hmm? And then you're right back to where you started." She winked. "End of my turn."

"It doesn't make any difference to me. Your Megamorph card is lost either way. I don't intend to let your powerups get the best of me." He drew his next card. "I place two magic/traps face-down. Back to you."

She pulled her next card, looking pleased. "I'll play one monster in defense and a card face-down. End of my turn, and your Swords only have a turn left. Hope you drew what you needed, because once my monsters are freed, you're going to be out of luck."

"I don't need luck," he answered, drawing. "All I need are some good cards. I play Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode."

On the field, in the monster slot Blue-Eyes had previously occupied, Kyle's Vorse Raider wavered into existence. It drooled hungrily, and the blade of its massive axe glinted in the afternoon sunlight that still glimmered over the buildings.

Kyle gave Jade a determined stare before ordering, "Vorse Raider, attack her face-down monster!"

Jade immediately pressed the activation button on one of her magic/trap slots. "How about... not. Activate A Feint Plan, preventing attacks on face-down monsters for a full turn."

He shrugged. "Fine. You're still pinned. End turn."

Jade drew her next card, and her LP scrolled up to 2200, finally higher than Kyle's 1800. Immediately, the rune circle surrounding her Dark Elf turned black, and the creature seemed to wither horribly, dropping her from 4000 ATK points down to a mere 1000. Frowning in what appeared to be concern, Jade spun the card on her disk to its side. "I'll switch Miga to defense position..." The creature complied, sinking to one knee and folding her arms over her chest, looking tired. "...and add another card face-down. End turn."

The glowing swords that had speared Jade's field vanished upon her announcement of the end of her turn, and Kyle discarded the magic card appropriately. He drew his next card, then began manipulating his field. "I switch Wall of Illusion back into attack mode," he announced, turning his Wall card upright on his disk as he spoke. Wall's mask-face began to move again, in its semi-live state. Kyle set his expression. "Wall of Illusion, attack Dark Elf!"

Her Dark Elf was destroyed, but Jade's hand was pressing an activation button before the holographic sparkles had winked out. "Activate Michizure, taking Vorse Raider to the graveyard."

A pair of long arms stretched out from the trap card and wrapped about Vorse Raider. The brutish creature was dragged into the same dark pit from whence the arms had come, and the trap disappeared. Kyle sniffed. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if these holograms aren't a bit too gaudy for their own good."

"Aw, you love it."

"Fine, so I love it. Actually, I don't mind that you took out Vorse Raider."

"Oh, no?"

"Nope. As you can probably tell, up until that point, I had five monsters on my field. So to have that space cleared up does wonders." Kyle slipped a card into one of his open m/t slots. "I play Monster Reborn. Guess who's back."

He pulled the desired monster from his graveyard and placed it in attack mode on his disk. Concordantly, on the field, the Blue-Eyes Jade had destroyed returned, shining in all its horrifying, resplendent glory. It roared at Jade, and Kyle entertained the thought that it did so out of indignation from being destroyed by a monster like Dark Elf, who was ordinarily so weak by comparison that it would have presented no challenge at all. "Too bad my battle phase is over. I end my turn there."

Jade set her mouth in a grim line. "I beat your Blue-Eyes once, I'll do it again."

And every fiber of her being told her that she would. _I'll beat his Blue-Eyes, his Sanga, his Suijin, and anything else he throws at me. Then I'll finally have what I've always wanted._


	20. Ultimate Stakes II

_A/N: Part 2 of Kyle's final duel against Jade._

-------

Kyle's LP - 1800

Jade's LP - 2200

--

Jade drew her next card, contemplated it for a moment as Solemn Wishes boosted her LP another 500 points, and then set the card she'd just drawn onto the field. "One card face-down, and then I play the magic card Change of Heart on your Blue-Eyes!"

Kyle narrowed his eyes. _No way to counter that. Damn it._

The massive dragon obediently crossed the alley and repositioned itself alongside Jade's face-down. It looked disturbingly comfortable there.

Jade looked up – _way_ up – at the holographic creature. "This is ridiculous. Even Cosmo Queen isn't this tall. I'm going to need a megaphone to order my attack, or it'll never hear me."

Kyle scoffed. _I see I'm not the only one to think that!_ "This is why the duel platforms are so tall, I'll bet."

"Bet Kaiba's gotten more than one crick in his neck," she agreed. "But thanks to Change of Heart, it's following my orders for a turn. Let's see how well it does; Blue-Eyes, attack his Wall of Illusion!"

First I'm ordering Monica's monster around, and now Jade's doing it, too. How irritating. And what's more, that attack will win the duel unless... Kyle frowned as he pressed one of his m/t activation buttons. "It won't work as well as you think. Activate Waboku."

A translucent wall of light appeared in front of the Wall of Illusion and absorbed the dragon's attack, which unhindered would have won the game for Jade.

Undaunted, Jade shrugged. "Jury says: double-edged sword. Why do you think I attacked Wall specifically? If it won't win me the duel, I'm going to make fine and sure that I put its effect to good use."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyle mumbled. For the second time, Blue-Eyes vanished from the field as Kyle removed its card from his duel disk and put it back into his hand. _Waboku doesn't stop an attack, only attack power, so Wall's effect worked. And against Blue-Eyes. Damn it._

**You still have several monsters at your disposal to sacrifice for it.**

And she'll keep trying to take Blue-Eyes off the field. Not right now, thank you.

"That ends my turn," Jade announced.

Kyle drew his next card. "I seem to be low on a hand at this point. So I think I'll play Pot of Greed." He drew his next two cards, and frowned at them.

"Hm," he said, after a moment of contemplation. "Well, then." He reached over to his disk and turned over one of his monster cards. "I flip Magician of Faith (300/400) into attack mode." He took only a moment to choose the magic card he desired from his graveyard – it was the one he'd just put there. "And then I'll play Pot of Greed once more."

Jade rolled her eyes. He pointedly ignored the expression. _Sorry if I'm boring you._ "Then I switch Wall of Illusion to defense mode once again, and sacrifice my Magician for Total Defense Shogun (1550/2500) in defense mode."

Kyle offered a grim smile to Jade. "I'm sure you recall his effect. Shogun, attack her face-down monster!"

As Shogun charged forward, Jade hit a magic/trap activation button. "Activate Waboku. But since you're so eager to know, my face-down is Maiden of the Moonlight (1500/1300)."

"Goody. No hidden effects. Your Maiden is going down next turn, though. That ends my turn."

"I draw," Jade said, eyeing her next card, "and play my Graceful Charity." Solemn Wishes, seeming to have become a permanent fixture on her field, adjusted her LP accordingly, putting her at 3700. "And that'll be enough for this turn."

Kyle felt a small twitch of impatience in his left eye – though for her Solemn Wishes or her apparent lack of a plan, he wasn't sure. _I'd just as soon get on with this game and find a victor. I can't waste my time anymore._ He drew, and then looked down at the Blue-Eyes in his hand. _Thusly... back to the field with you, whether or not I feel you're mine._ "I sacrifice my two remaining face-down monsters to once again play Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)."

She frowned. "I'm beginning to feel sorry for that poor thing. You don't seem to be a very good dragon duelist."

Kyle glared venomously at her. "I don't recall asking your opinion." Then he let out a small sigh. "I'm not a dragon duelist. I'm using it to help me win. As it stands, neither I nor Blue-Eyes need your sympathy. So don't bother. Blue-Eyes, attack her Maiden!"

She laughed. "Activate Enchanted Javelin!"

He closed his eyes and shook his head – thus he missed the dramatic sight of a jewel-encrusted javelin appearing on the field and spearing straight through the huge dragon. It didn't stop Blue-Eyes from attacking, however; the great blast of lightning washed over Jade's Maiden of the Moonlight and vanquished it in an instant.

Still, the destruction of her monster was overshadowed by the sudden skyrocketing of Jade's Life Points by 3000.

Kyle pursed his lips as Maiden vanished under the attack. "Your monster is still destroyed, so no sacrifice fodder for you. End turn."

**_Kyle!_**

What?

**You ended your turn without instructing your Shogun to attack?**

It's in defense mo– oh. Damn it!

**You forgot its effect? Is its effect not precisely why it is one of your favorite cards? This duel is hinging on her fluctuating Life Points more than anything else; you opened her defenses and you did not attack?**

It was a brain fart, Theoris, I'll make up for it.

**..."Brain fart"?**

_Oh, never mind! You don't want to know anyway._ This entire discussion manifested itself on Kyle's face as an expression of disgust almost instantly after he announced the end of his turn, and he whapped his forehead with his free hand. "Damn it, damn it, damn it..."

Unable to witness Kyle's self-punishment with a straight face, Jade started to laugh. Between giggles, she commented, "I don't know what you were just thinking, Kyle, but _oh_, the look on your face right now..."

He scowled at her. "I'm glad you're amused. I should have ordered Shogun to attack your Maiden so that Blue-Eyes could have wrecked you more easily. It's now your turn, so I hope you appreciate my brain's temporary leave of absence."

"Oh, quite," she replied, still chuckling as she drew her next card. "But then, it's hard not to be amused at 7200 LP. I'll play a monster in defense and end my turn."

He ground his teeth as he drew his next card. _Damn it. I've given her almost double her starting Life Points. Like I hadn't even touched them. Better start changing that about now._ "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face-down magic/trap card."

"Dark Spirit of the Silent," she called, holding it up briefly before putting it into her graveyard slot.

"Hrm. Maybe I should've gone after Wishes." Kyle harrumphed. "Doesn't matter. Blue-Eyes, attack her monster!"

Blue-Eyes's mouth craned open and loosed another terrible blast of blinding white energy. The crackling burst stream of energy tore through the card and the seemingly frail Magician of Faith (300/400) beneath it. Jade recalled one of her magic cards to her hand, courtesy of the spellcaster's effect.

"And now, with that out of the way... Shogun, attack her Life Points directly!"

Total Defense Shogun leaped up – though curiously, he still looked as if he was crouched behind his massive shield – and brought a massive sword to bear on Jade. Again, the simulated explosion of a direct attack pushed her back a bit, though not nearly as strongly this time around.

"Good," Kyle said in satisfaction, as his Shogun returned to his defensive position next to Blue-Eyes. "That ends my turn."

"I draw, and then replay my Graceful Charity. You really ought to think about getting a Solemn Wishes card yourself, Kyle," she noted, again discarding two cards from her hand by her Charity.

"I'll give that serious consideration," he responded. "Later. We have a duel yet unfinished right now."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll play one card face-down, and a monster in defense. Your turn once more."

"Good." Kyle drew his next card...

And he temporarily forgot how to breathe. _Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me..._

**Is there something wrong, Kyle?**

You're looking at it, same as me. You figure it out.

**It is your decision to make the play, Kyle. It always is.**

I know. Wish I didn't feel so guilty about plays like this when they pop up. He looked up at Jade, who seemed ready to tap her foot in her impatience for him to make a move. _She probably knows I've got Bickuribox. Wonder what she'd make of this._

Ah, to hell with it, Kyle, just do it.

He nodded once, mostly to himself, and then slid a card into an empty slot, his heart once more leaping to his throat as he did so. "I play Polymerization."

Jade's eyebrow quirked upward, but she said nothing.

"Don't think I'll use any of those weaker fusion monsters, either," he said. "I'm assuming you wanted an all-out fight from me... correct?"

"That's right," she affirmed. "Show me what you've got."

"Only the best." He pulled the Blue-Eyes on his disk off the playing field once more. "I tribute the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my field... and the other two I've got in my hand..."  
He clicked his fusion deck slot open, removed the only fusion monster in it that really mattered now, and placed it on the field.

"...to form Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800)."

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon hologram vanished, only to be replaced by another dragon twice its size – which was, no doubt, a massive drain on the substantial batteries of the holoprojectors.

The three heads of the famed Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, whose gargantuan form was even more threatening than those of the creatures used to create it, snarled down at Jade. The vibration of the low-pitched noises rattled through both duelists, across the ground, and even made the other holograms on the field shimmer just the slightest bit.

Jade took an instinctive step backwards. She knew that it was a hologram, a production of prisms and light, and yet she still felt awed by the sheer size and power of the creature before her.

"Impressive," she managed, her green eyes never leaving the colossal monster. "But you still won't win."

"If I don't, then I don't," he said nonchalantly. "But I get the impression that this is about the most powerful monster you've faced in your career as a duelist, so I'd advise you to respect it as such. Unfortunately, Ultimate Dragon can't attack this turn, since it's a fusion. But Shogun isn't bound by the same restriction. Shogun, attack her monster!"

"Activate Negate Attack!" she called hurriedly, scrambling to activate the corresponding trap as Kyle's monster bounded forth.

Shogun's sword was raised over the hologram of the only face-down monster card on her field, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, and along with it the according trap flipping face-up, the defensive warrior stopped his attack and returned to Kyle's field wearing a slight scowl of disappointment.

"I stand blocked," Kyle noted. "And that'll end my turn."

Jade's eyes had yet to leave the Ultimate Dragon, but she pulled them away as she drew her next card. "I've no shame in admitting that – yes, it _is_ the most powerful monster I've ever faced, Kyle. But even something as powerful as the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon isn't immune. First, I play Dian Keto, for an extra 1000 LP, and then I activate the power of the magic card Soul Exchange, to sacrifice my face-down Fire Sorceress (1000/1500) and your Ultimate Dragon for my Cosmo Queen (2900/2450)!"

Kyle stared at her in anger and frustration as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon vanished into smoke in the wake of Cosmo Queen's summoning. _After all that, it was STILL a waste! _"You really _are_ trying to wreck me, aren't you?" he said.

"What did I call this duel, Kyle? One of ultimate stakes. If you want the short answer, then yes, I am. If you want the real truth, it's because I respect you."

"What kind of respect makes you want to take from me what I've worked so hard to hold on to?" he asked her, his eyes taking a desperate light.

"You said it yourself. I don't duel those who aren't worth my time."

"Damn it, Jade, I'm a _nobody!_" he yelled. "I'm not worth _anything _here! Here, or anywhere else!"

She regarded him coolly. "You know damn well that's not true."

"Do I? All these pretenses, innuendos, veiled threats, money... and for _what_? _This?!_" He held up one of the cards left in his card. "A piece of glorified _card paper? _Damn it..." He stared at the ground, and gathered himself up. He heaved a sigh, then looked back up at her. "Fine. Fine. Let's play this through. I refuse to cower now."

She looked at him in curiosity. "Kyle... if it's just a card game... why are you so upset?"

He took another deep breath and expelled half of it. "This is more than just some random card game to me. More than just a fad I got into." He stared across the field and gazed into her green eyes. "You know what I'm talking about. I know you do."

"Yes. And _that's_why you don't cower. Your turn," she responded, leaving him to ponder what she'd meant.

He blew the rest of his breath out his nose and hastily slipped the next card off the top of his deck.

He gazed at it for several moments, and then back at Jade. And without further hesitation, he made his play.

"I sacrifice Wall of Illusion and Total Defense Shogun to play Suijin (2500/2400) in attack mode."

On the field, the massive, nebulous creature comprised of cohesive water appeared. Its growled menacingly at Cosmo Queen, though the opposing monster was possessed of more power than the Labyrinth Brother.

Kyle took in another breath – and much to his surprise and relief, the breath was devoid of shuddering.

His fear was gone.

He looked to Jade once more, and strangely, a small, genuine smile crept across his face. "This is it, Jade. I'm not afraid of you anymore. I was... but not anymore."

She raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"If you're wondering why... it's not because I have a Labyrinth Brother on the field. It's great that I do, but that's not why," he said. "I don't know why. But I know it now. I'm not going to lose. Not here, not now, not to you."

Jade drew her next card, then played two from her hand onto the field. "I equip Cosmo Queen with the Book of Secret Arts, and the Axe of Despair, for a power-up to 4200 attack points and 2750 defense," she declared. Then she scoffed. "Like her defense matters with an attack power that high."

In Cosmo Queen's right hand, there appeared a thick book of spells, laid open and balanced perfectly on her palm. In her left, she grasped a massive axe possessing a blade more vicious than that of Vorse Raiser's.

Jade regarded Kyle carefully. "There is a lot of strength in confidence, but a greater weakness in too much of it. This duel's not yet decided, and you know I won't let Gate Guardian slip from me so easily."

"I know this duel's not over yet. So let's play." Kyle's expression was set. _No matter what... I'm going to give Jade my best. She still has hell to pay for taking us both through all this struggle. And it's time to make sure she gets hers._


	21. Ultimate Stakes III

_A/N: Part 3 of Kyle's final duel against Jade. Not only that, but as of today (20 July 2004), it has been one full year since the first chapter of **Shielded Destiny** was posted for everyone's reading pleasure. So, happy anniversary, and thanks to everyone who's maintained interest this long!_

-------

Kyle's LP - 1800

Jade's LP - 8650

--

"End turn," she replied.

He nodded and drew his next card. "By the way, Cosmo Queen looks rather like you, holding that book."

She blinked, surprised, looking up at the monster before a small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Well, what do you know. Maybe she does, at that."

"It stops at the axe, though." Kyle allowed another smile to cross his features as he made his move. "I place one magic/trap face-down, and one monster in defense. That ends my turn."

"Very well, I draw." As she did so, Solemn Wishes increased her Life Points yet again, taking her up to 9150. "I equip Ekibyo Drakmord..." A swarm of little green creatures appeared at their name, causing her to grin. "...to Suijin."

The creatures overran Suijin – some sat atop it, while others stood around it. Kyle scoffed at the little gremlins. _Those things won't let Suijin attack as long as they're equipped, and in two turns, they'll destroy him. Then they'll go back to her hand to let the fun continue._

"And then I'll have Cosmo Queen attack the face-down monster you just played!"

Cosmo Queen, equipped as she was with two power-ups meant for her hands, took a different route with her attack than usual. She uttered a few words in a foreign tongue as she eyed the Book of Secret Arts – perhaps she was reading a quote from it – and the Axe of Despair she held in her left hand glowed violet from the dark energies coursing into it.

Then she hurled the axe at Kyle's face-down monster – an easily rent-to-scrap Mechanicalchaser (1850/800).

The axe returned to Cosmo Queen's hand at her call, and the massive Duel Monster regarded Kyle much as a queen would regard a lowly peasant. Jade grinned at her monster, apparently pleased with the hard work that had gone into the holographic technology. "That finishes my turn."

Kyle drew his next card, and swiftly put it to use. "Another monster face-down, and my turn's finished."

"My turn, I draw."

"And during your standby phase, I activate my trap, Thunder of Ruler." Kyle activated the trap he'd placed two turns ago. "Thus forcing you to skip your battle phase for this turn. Sorry you can't try your luck on my face-down."

"Hm. No matter. Your Suijin's done for in a turn, and my Queen will take out whatever's lurking on your field. End turn."

He drew and _tsk_ed at her. "Don't be so confident your Queen will solve it all for you. I place one card face-down, and yet another monster in defense mode. My turn's done."

At that last announcement, the gremlins of Jade's Ekibyo Drakmord abruptly got up from their lax positions and took to ripping Suijin apart, piece by holographic watery piece. Suijin's growl did nothing to abate their progress, and within moments, the Labyrinth Brother had been reduced to drops all over the pavement.

Jade gave her creatures a funny look as they disappeared from the field; she collected her card from the disk's slots, replacing it in her hand as per its second effect. "They go from cute to homicidal rather quickly. Wasn't there a movie about something like those?"

"I think there was, now that you mention it," Kyle answered, discarding his Suijin. "But we're a ways away from being able to see it at the moment."

"We could always make a date of it later." She drew and inspected her new card. "I'll play one card face-down, and then summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer (1800/700) in attack mode."

Kyle noted the latest LP boost on her disk's counter, which had taken her to 10150. "I guess you finally hit that 5-digit number you always wanted."

She grinned. "That I did. Getting worried yet? Cosmo Queen, attack the face-down monster on his right!"

"Not for one second. Activate Mirror Force!"

Kyle's Mirror Force card appeared, and just as the energy-charged Axe from Cosmo Queen came in to strike his face-down monster, the weapon rebounded and its energy washed over Kycoo and Queen instead. They were obliterated in an explosive burst of light and sound.

Jade's expression puckered into an annoyed frown for a moment at the destruction of her creatures. "Well, that's aggravating. End turn."

Kyle smirked as he drew. "I'd say that's a bit of an understatement. I flip Magician of Faith (300/400) to attack mode, and activate her special ability."

His Magician appeared on the field, looking simple, yet graceful. She hovered in midair, offering a determined stare at Kyle's opponent, her staff at the ready, not unlike Jade's Dark Magician had been.

She offered the holographic monster a grin. "Cute, but not exactly imposing."

"Hm. Then how about this? I sacrifice my Magician in order to bring out Black Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800) in attack mode."

His Magician vanished in a burst of sparkles, to be replaced by a much more fierce-looking wingless dragon. It snarled menacingly at Jade.

"King, attack her Life Points!"

"Activate Mirror Wall!" Jade said determinedly.

Jungle King's attack points were promptly cut in half, but that didn't stop the attack from singeing her LP, even through the thick glass-like wall that spontaneously appeared between the duelist and her opponent's monster. Her LP dropped to 9100.

"Quad digits again. Well, that won't take long to rectify," she groused.

"We'll see," said Kyle. "I end my turn here."

Jade's next draw took her LP to 9600. "I play Pot of Greed," Jade decided, after looking at her hand, "for two new cards and some options, as well as an extra 500 Life Points. Not too shabby. I also intend to keep my Mirror Wall in play, and I'm sure you've noticed I have more than enough Life Points to do so. Then I'll equip Ekibyo Drakmord back to your field on Jungle King..."

Kyle barely paid attention to the 500 point boost her LP received from her Pot of Greed, or even the loss of 2000 LP her Mirror Wall caused (bringing her total score to 8100), so much as the little gremlins reappearing on the field to position themselves around his already weakened dragon. He harrumphed.

"... before ending my turn."

He sighed as he drew his next card. "I doubt you'll need that Wall after this turn. I switch King to defense mode and end my turn."

"A good thing, too. Even I'm not keen on paying that hefty a fine per turn. I discard Mirror Wall, and play a monster face-down. Your turn, Kyle."

"Goody," he muttered, drawing. He rocked his head to one side at his drawn card. "Hm. Okay, then. I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn. Bye-bye, King."

As they had done with Suijin, the gremlins of her Ekibyo Drakmord took to destroying his dragon, which roared futilely in trying to grapple with the little creatures.

Jade snapped her fingers. "_Gremlins_. Right? Wasn't that the movie?" Even as she spoke, the creatures jumped back into their holographic card and she collected it back to her hand.

"Most likely. I've never seen it."

"Hmm. I don't think I've seen it in ages. But I'll play one card, and end my turn."

He drew his next card and tried not to roll his eyes at her. "We can discuss movies later. Unless suddenly I've become such a pushover that you have time to think of anything but this duel. It's kind of important, you know."

She scowled for a second. "Lighten up a bit. Jeez, who died?"

At that question, he hesitated, adopting a different look, one of both anger and despair. "Don't go there, Jade. Don't you dare go there."

Taken aback by the change in his tone and the expression on his face, she had no response for him.

He pursed his lips together, suddenly more determined than ever before to finish the duel – whether or not he won wasn't even on his mind anymore. "One magic/trap face-down, and I flip Dream Clown (1200/900) into attack mode. That ends my turn."

Jade drew a card without speaking, and flipped her face-down monster into attack mode. "I imagine this wasn't who you were expecting. You may regret not attacking."

One of the stranger-looking spellcasters of Duel Monsters, Nemuriko (800/700) was composed of little more than an eel's body, on top of which rested a blue-haired child's head and a single arm and hand. She appeared on the field, her thumb stuck in her mouth and an inquisitive expression on her face.

Kyle's initial expression was one of surprise. _Could there be any more useless monsters in her deck than a Nemuriko?_

Then he frowned. _No, it's useful. It can get under Trap Holes, and if she powers it up..._

His thoughts were confirmed as Jade continued, "But little ones shouldn't be out by themselves, so I equip Nemuriko with a Malevolent Nuzzler." She set the card onto the field and the familiar green-skinned, tri-eyed equipment creature appeared. Unlike the more powerful monsters she often twined around, the Nuzzler seemed to hover next to the tiny spellcaster protectively.

"With 1500 attack points, Nemuriko attacks your Dream Clown!"

Kyle was quick to activate the trap he'd placed last turn. "Activate Waboku!"

Jade was quick to do the same. "Counter with Seven Tools of the Bandit. I'd rather not have that Clown hanging around... its effect is anything but amusing." The use of her Seven Tools trap card caused her Life Points to fall to a still-colossal 8600.

With the trap plays finished, Nemuriko – unwilling to stop sucking her thumb even for an attack order – babbled something unintelligible around her thumb, and her eyes glowed a bright blue. The Malevolent Nuzzler manifestation increased the strike by placing her hands on Nemuriko and letting power flow into the diminutive monster.

Nemuriko's eyes glowed twice as brightly as before, and when her babbling ceased, blinding beams of energy lanced from her eyes and speared Kyle's Dream Clown – and along with it, 300 of his precious Life Points.

Jade made a sound suspiciously like a squeak. "I know that it seems slightly cliché, but I have to... that was _kawaii_. That'll end my turn."

Kyle frowned. "Seven Tools made you lose more LP than me in that play."

"Difference is," she said sweetly, "my Life Points are easily replaced."

"Hm." Kyle drew his next card, thinking, _Her definition of "cute" is a bit different from mine, but... whatever floats her boat, as the receptionist said so long ago._ "I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

She drew and was quick to add her newest card to her arsenal. "I'll play Black Pendant on Nemuriko, boosting the attack power by another 500 points. Up to 2000 now."

He narrowed his eyes. "Now let's see if you stick with the offensive."

"I intend to. Nee–" She seemed to catch herself midway through the name. "Nemuriko, attack the face-down monster he just played."

This time, Nemuriko's babbling activated not only whatever mysterious power lay behind her eyes, but also that which empowered the pendant that dangled loosely from her neck. Two neon blue bolts from her eyes and one purple one from the pendant shot across the expanse... but were halted by the more mature sound of a protective spell uttered in a foreign tongue by a beautiful blue-skinned creature.

"Mystical Elf (800/2000) remains," said Kyle.

"Barely. End turn."

As Kyle glanced down at his deck to draw his next card, he became dismayed by the shortage of cards he had to work with. _I wonder how she's faring._

Nevertheless, he drew... and was promptly gratified by the card. _This'll do._

He glanced at Jade. "Staying on the defensive isn't going to help, so I sacrifice Mystical Elf and my face-down Kiseitai (300/800) to play Sanga of the Thunder (2600/2200) in attack mode."

The Labyrinth Brother rose up from its holo-card, looming over the tiny Nemuriko and her protective Nuzzler. Nemuriko, for its part, merely stared curiously up at the thunder-empowered creature.

Kyle shook his head. "This is getting ridiculous. I have to sacrifice two monsters to protect myself from a Nemuriko. But that shows how good you are, Jade, and it's something a lot of duelists aspire to."

Jade gave him a nod, but he could tell that she was pleased with the compliment.

He crossed his arms. "In the meantime... Sanga, attack Nemuriko!"

Sanga held its clawed hands closely together, and a sphere of electrical energy appeared between them. A yellow bolt zipped from the sphere, directly toward the curious little monster. At the last instant, Nemuriko seemed to realize the bolt for what it was, and squealed fearfully. The Nuzzler alongside her curled its arms around Nemuriko protectively.

Its efforts were for naught. Nemuriko vanished under the electrical storm, as did the Nuzzler, taking Jade's Life Points down to 8500; Jade winced involuntarily, more at the action before her than the LP loss. The Black Pendant formerly equipped to her diminutive monster remained for a moment and hovered there, then shattered under the assault. Its broken pieces blasted a purplish bolt at Kyle which struck him in the midsection – the representation of his 500 LP loss as a result of its destruction.

Kyle chewed his lip. "I almost feel sorry for the little one. That ends my turn."

"Yeah, that was some 'almost'," Jade retorted as she drew her next card. Her Life Points rose to 9000. "Nevertheless, I think I'll find something a little more suitable for this task. I play Monster Reborn on Kazejin (2400/2200). Brother versus Brother, but I'm not done. I equip Kazejin with my other Black Pendant to increase his attack to 2900, making Wind the 'big brother' of the three for the moment."

Kyle blinked. "Monster Reborn? How did Kazejin end up in your graveyard when you haven't played it yet?"

"I discarded it when I used Graceful Charity," she said. "I didn't tell you?" She gave him a Mona Lisa smile. "Oops."

He frowned. "You used Charity a long time ago. Were you not planning on bringing Kazejin out at all, or...?"

"You just saw the play for yourself, McCraine," Jade retorted. "It's not my fault you never bothered to find out what I was discarding. Don't you mind my reasons. The point is he's on the field now, and he's more powerful than Sanga."

"Sanga's no less dangerous just because of a lower attack power."

"Agreed. So we'll take care of Sanga in a different way. Ekibyo Drakmord... I need you guys to clean up the field again."

The ugly green creatures appeared once again and surrounded Kyle's Labyrinth Brother, their very presence shielding Jade from an attack of any kind from Sanga. Kyle rolled his eyes at her. "Why change a good thing, right?"

"You got it," she said cheerfully. "Your turn."

Kyle drew. "Hrm. I place one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Since it's a waste to attack when Sanga's only got a turn left, I'll play Gravekeeper's Servant and end my turn as well." Her Life Points had now climbed to 9500.

Kyle drew his next card, not feeling much hope for Sanga – or the rest of the duel – at this point.

But upon sight of the card, his eyes widened. _Whoa... just... whoa..._

Then he looked up at Jade, jubilation evident in his expression. "You might have wanted to attack my face-down."

"Let me be the judge of that."

"Then judge this." Kyle began his move. "First, I place one magic/trap face-down. Next, I activate my long-waiting trap card, The Eye Of Truth, thus allowing me to see what cards you've got in your hand."

Jade held up the two cards that were in her hand. "Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) and the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon."

He nodded in affirmation. "Next, I play my own Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Gravekeeper's Servant."

Obediently, Jade discarded the yet-unused magic card.

"Furthermore, I play Change of Heart on Kazejin."

Jade made an exclamation, though she almost immediately cut it off, looking furious. "You–!"

"I know, I know, you hate me for that. Don't worry, it's for a good cause." As Kazejin floated to his side of the field and took up position next to Sanga, Kyle held up the next card of his play. "Now I play Monster Reborn on Suijin."

Immediately she realized what was happening and clenched her fists, virtually shaking in rage. "You stole my Kazejin!"

"And if you were in my position, you would have done the same." He held up the next card involved in the play. "I think you know what this is."

Seething, she could do nothing but watch and give a curt, angry nod.

"So now, I sacrifice Sanga of the Thunder, Suijin, and Kazejin to summon Gate Guardian (3750/3400) in attack mode!"

The three Labyrinth Brothers, all aligned with each other on Kyle's field, dissolved into light depicting their corresponding elements – Suijin burned blue, Sanga blazed yellow, and Kazejin glowed green. The three essences merged together into one colossal tower of incandescent light on Kyle's field, resolving into the monster he and Jade had been searching for and fighting each other over from the beginning of their acquaintance.

Gate Guardian was nearly as massive as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon had been. It stood nearly four stories high, casting a shadow over the entire alley as it patiently waited for a command from its master.

The gremlins of Jade's Drakmord squawked indignantly; with their target gone, there was no reason for them to remain on the field, and so they jumped into their holo-card, which promptly vanished. And rather than return to Jade's hand, the card went to the graveyard, having not fulfilled its mission.

The Black Pendant that had been equipped to Kazejin was still there, floating in front of Kyle, the remainder of Jade's offensive. It blasted another purple bolt of energy into Kyle, who stumbled slightly from it. His LP counter descended to 500 as the pendant shattered and vanished.

_It was worth it, just to bring Gate Guardian out._

"Now," he said, "I flip my third and final Magician of Faith (300/400) into attack mode, and bring her special effect into play once again. And finally, I'll play the Monster Reborn I just retrieved from my graveyard... to revive Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (4500/3800), in attack mode!"

If the shadow over Jade could have gotten any darker, it did so. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon arose from the Monster Reborn card and launched into the air, hovering directly over Gate Guardian since there was no room left for it in the alley. Its three heads gnashed their teeth in anticipation of the attack order to come – because, after all, that was its purpose... to destroy. As she stared up at them – for there was no way one could look down at such gigantic creatures, even if they'd been standing on the holo-platforms – Jade's expression was a fine attempt at neutrality, but awe belied her stance.

"First thing's first. Let's get the insult out of the way. Magician of Faith, attack her Life Points!"

The Magician's attack was actually rather impressive, truth be told, and reminiscent of a Dark Magician's attack. She brought both arms up and held her palm against the crescent of the top of her staff, which began to glow a bright gold.

Magician brought her staff back down, gripped it firmly, and spun around in midair, the staff held out in front of her like a ward. A crescent-shaped bolt of energy blasted from her staff and flew toward Jade.

"Insult to injury indeed," Jade grumbled.

After the direct hits of much larger proportions she had already withstood, she was able to weather the Magician's attack with relative ease. But her attention was focused on the two others on his field. _At the very least, _she thought darkly, _I can say I faced down two of the strongest Duel Monsters with no defense... and I still have a turn after this to sort things out. The total attack power isn't enough to destroy all my LP, but... this is going to hurt._

"You might want to brace yourself for the next two," he said, "because I honestly don't know if you've ever taken a direct attack this powerful before." He looked up at the colossal dragon hovering above. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack her Life Points directly!"

A blinding sphere of lightning built in each of the three heads, before the draconic creature fired them. Once they left the monster's maws, they combined and streamed across the alley towards her. _Is this how Kaiba's opponents feel? _she thought. Unlike the duel platforms, there was nothing to hold onto, but she threw up both arms, feeling granules of dirt sting against them, propelled by the wind – _can holograms actually create wind?_ – as everything around her became engulfed in white.

Kyle was both pleased with the loss of LP she was suffering, and dismayed with having to force such a powerful direct attack on her. Seeing her throw up her arms didn't help the latter any. But she'd only stumbled slightly; he imagined that with a monster as powerful as this, there was some sort of safety mechanism involved – otherwise she would have been thrown into the wall behind her.

_I can't let up now._ "Gate Guardian, attack her Life Points!"

Gate Guardian's attack was somehow more intimidating than Blue-Eyes' had been. Whereas the Ultimate Dragon had barely moved in order to effect its attack, Gate Guardian actually took a single, massive step towards Jade to execute its own. That one step, made by the Suijin-legs, brought a holographic tsunami to the massive monster's aid, flowing straight out from its feet. The waters churned furiously, aided by the wind powers of the Kazejin-midsection, and crashed towards Jade. Finally, Gate Guardian reached its Sanga-arms out, and each arm emitted a gargantuan blast of lightning, thus electrifying the typhoon and bringing to light – quite literally – the full scope of its attack.

Gate Guardian hadn't fully waited until Ultimate Dragon's Neutron Blast attack had finished, so Jade's vision only cleared in time to see the massive triple-element attack bearing down on her. She ducked her head down behind the shield of her hands again, even though Guardian's attack was in actuality less than Ultimate Dragon's had been.

Kyle felt an instinct to ask Jade if she was okay, but as Gate Guardian backed away, he could see that she was unharmed – though, at the very least, worried, judging from the protective curl she'd gone into.

He almost felt sorry for her.

Almost unnecessarily, he announced, "I end my turn." The announcement was so quiet, after Ultimate Dragon's and Gate Guardian's respective noisy attacks, that he wasn't even sure she could hear him. He was having trouble hearing himself.

Jade straightened, pushing back some of her hair that had been blown into her face during the attacks. She brought her duel disk up to check her Life Points – a drop from 9500 to 950 in one turn – before taking a deep breath. "My turn."

"Indeed it is," said Kyle. "And before you draw your next card, I activate the trap card Time Seal. So hands off of whatever it is you're about to draw."

Her hand paused midway through pulling the top card from her deck. "Great," she scowled. "But I still get one thousand Life Points for having a magic card in my hand, thanks to Eye of Truth."

She surveyed his field before setting a card onto the disk. "First I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon on your leftmost face-down card."

He nodded in acquiescence as her typhoon swept over his card and sent it to oblivion. "You've destroyed my Solemn Judgment trap."

"Then I summon Aqua Madoor (1200/2000) in attack mode," she announced, placing her final card on the field. "It's supposed to be a defensive monster, but in this case, 1200 attack points should be enough to finish this duel when it destroys your Magician of Faith, which you foolishly put in attack mode while you had only 500 Life Points left to you. Madoor, attack Magician of Faith."

At that moment, Jade thought, _I'm going to win!_

And at the same time, Kyle thought, _I'm not going to lose._

Aqua Madoor's attack was set in motion. It raised a tidal wave to its call, and it pointed one long, pale finger at Magician of Faith, signifying her as the target.

The wave came crashing toward the spellcasting Duel Monster–

"Activate Two-Pronged Attack!"

–only to be blocked by a dual attack, from both her and the massive dragon hovering above.

"I sacrifice Magician of Faith and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to destroy Aqua Madoor!"

Ultimate Dragon swept down and in front of Magician, who leapt atop its back. The unlikely pair crashed straight through the waves, dissolving as they moved, but still had substance enough to rocket into Aqua Madoor and disintegrate it along with them.

When the play was finished, the water was gone, and so were Aqua Madoor, Magician of Faith, and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

Leaving Gate Guardian standing alone on the field.

And Jade was out of options.

**_There was no way she could have won this turn,_** Theoris realized. **_No matter which trap she destroyed, the other one would have stopped her monster..._**

She held up her hands, both empty, shaking her head. "A little obvious to say it, but... end turn..."

Kyle drew his next card, but didn't even look at it. "It's been a good duel. I mean that."

He looked up at the massive creature that was Gate Guardian.

When it came down to it, for him, Ultimate Dragon was expendable. The entire duel had centered around this one creature.

Gate Guardian.

_His_ Gate Guardian.

"Gate Guardian, attack her Life Points and finish this duel."

Once more, Gate Guardian's lightning-charged hurricane bore down upon Kyle's opponent.

She stood through the attack, simulated water and thunder and wind crashing all around her as she stared stoically through the dark typhoon at her opponent. Her duel disk's LP counter buzzed indignantly at her, alerting both duelists that she was out of Life Points.

Their war was finally over.

Kyle had won.


	22. Second Chances

_A/N: Wow! Just when I thought readers were getting less interested in the story, I get a slew of 'em telling me how great that duel was! I must be doing something right. Thanks, all! I feel all warm inside. Like a good donut. ... Now I'm hungry... Anyway, believe it or not, even I was surprised at how this chapter turned out. I'm sure you will be too. Read on!___

Skraku: I did? I'll have to remember that for future reference.

Mira: Harder to summon Gate Guardian; Kyle would want to keep him over Ultimate Dragon. Either one could have finished the duel. Besides, you love dragons.

Eusine: What's a good suspense story without drama? Nonexistent. And things are rarely so simple... see for yourself.

Wolfwings: The stories feel like old farts now. I call 'em classics.

Lumen: Ahh, you're picking up on what I didn't write last chapter! Gold star for you.

Monica: There's rarely a time I see you in a non-hyper state, m'friend. Here's your update!

-------

Gate Guardian vanished, leaving only Kyle, Jade, and four inactive holoprojectors. He retrieved his projectors and snapped them back into place on his disk as he returned it to idle mode.

He approached her. "That's it. It's all finished now."

Jade plucked the next card from the top of her deck as he walked towards her – the one she had been forced to abandon drawing due to his Time Seal trap card. She turned it around for him to see.

Dark Hole.

He stopped, then nodded slowly.

"This... would have helped. In fact... this would have won me the duel. I would have played it after I destroyed your Solemn Judgment." She tilted her head a little, shoulders sagging slightly. "It was a good duel."

"It was," he affirmed. Then his expression hardened. "Remember the stakes. Your Kazejin or my set."

But at this, Jade faltered. "You... you can't still want Kazejin," she said, with a disbelieving shake of her head. "You've got the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in your deck. Isn't that enough?"

"Those were the stakes," he reminded her. "Ultimate Dragon has nothing to do with it. By the rules we put down, I won Kazejin, fair and square. Just like I won Sanga, both times, and Suijin."

_"If I win, then you won't ever hear from me again. If you win... then I no longer have reason to be around, do I? So... yes, I will. I guess these are what you could consider 'ultimate stakes'."_

Remembering her own words, Jade's mouth opened once but closed again without making a sound.

She shook her head again.

"I can't."

A frown creased his brow, and his voice grew a considerable edge to it. "Jade, what did I do when you won Sanga? Did I tell you I couldn't let you have it? No. I handed it over because that was the deal. I didn't like it – in fact, I damn well hated it – but I did it. And now you won't afford me the same courtesy?"

That got a reaction. "This is not about 'courtesy'! You're so... so... so _selfish_!" Jade exploded, frustrated to the point of almost trembling. "You have the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in your deck, which you clearly have as a playable advantage, and yet you still want the Gate Guardian!"

"Me?! _Selfish?!_ And what's been driving _you_ all this time? Because you thought you deserved it more than some amateur punk like me? You want to know why I want Kazejin? Because I _earned_ it!" Kyle responded, nostrils flaring. "It's not just a matter of having the powerful cards... it's not even about the playability! It's about how I had to get them in the first place. How hard I had to work to get this good!"

"Don't you insinuate you've worked harder than me! Don't you dare!" she yelled. "That's all you want them for, isn't it? Some sort of trophy!"

"What do _you _want them for? Why've you chased after me all this time? What more would you get out of Gate Guardian than I would?"

"I want to use it. As a part of my deck and my strategy, and a whole lot more than just the status symbol it's going to become to you!" Her voice dripped with contempt.

He frowned at that. "I don't consider the set just a status symbol. But frankly, there's little else to view Gate Guardian itself as, if one of us doesn't have all the pieces." He pulled the Gate Guardian card from his disk's playing field and showed it to her. "Look at it. This is what you've been working so hard to get. And no matter what, if you ever want to play it, see it in action... you'd have to work even harder."

"You don't think I know that?" She laughed; there wasn't much mirth in the sound. "The effort to even get the Guardian onto the field makes half the hardcore duelists turn away from it. It's far easier to get your Ultimate Dragon onto the field – any idiot with a Cyber-Stein and a nice set of LP can do it – and its strength is higher. But with the Guardian, you'd need all three pieces on the field first. Makes someone question why anyone would want it in their deck, doesn't it?" Her voice became contemplative, as if she were musing. "But... I still do. I always have. Tell me you've got something in your life that doesn't make any sense to anyone but you, and it's still all you want."

Kyle's eyes narrowed, his response barely louder than a whisper. "More than you know." He raised his voice again, but kept it level. "You don't seriously think I plan to _keep_ the Ultimate Dragon, do you?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Jade couldn't keep the surprise at his question out of her voice.

"Because it doesn't belong to me." Kyle stuffed his hands in his pockets and leveled his gaze at her. He locked eyes with her and refused to blink, even as much as he wanted to. "I use the Blue-Eyes cards because I have to win. Out of necessity. I'm embarrassed to use them; it's almost sacrilegious. But I need to. I need everything I can get."

"What are you going to get out of this tournament that isn't at stake for any other duelist?" she challenged him. "Correct me if I'm wrong; you just admitted to either stealing or having stolen cards...." She trailed off.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "If you're referring to the Blue-Eyes cards, they _are_ stolen, as you well know, but I won them fair and square from duelists in this tournament. You can say they're mine if you want. But they only have one true owner, as far as I'm concerned... and Monica Zocallos is that owner, not me. I'm just retrieving them, and as soon as I find her, she's getting them back."

A myriad of emotions crossed her features at his reply, as though she were thinking several conflicting thoughts at once. She took a step back from him, her expression finally settling into a cross between determination and panic.

"I can't give you Kazejin," she said quietly. "I can't. You have the Ultimate Dragon. Let me keep the chance for Guardian. Please. _Please_, Kyle."

Kyle frowned. _Keep the chance?_

**I believe she means that if you deprive her of Kazejin, she will no longer have a chance to acquire an entire set. She is asking you to let her keep that chance.**

He clenched his eyes shut and bowed his head._ Theoris... what can I do?_

You need the Gate Guardian cards now.

Do I? She's right... I've got Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon now, a far easier creation to master than Gate Guardian. Do I really need them all?

**...**

Do I?

Kyle... you fought for the right to the entire set. You won the duel. No matter what she says, you are now the one that has the right to the full set, including Kazejin. Whether you truly need them is not the true issue.

Kyle looked back up at her. "I won. You didn't."

"Fine," she said hurriedly, as though frantic to offer him another solution. "Then keep your two Brothers and Guardian. I'll never duel you for them again. I'll find Suijin and Sanga elsewhere. But let me keep Kazejin. That's all I want, just let me keep Kazejin."

His frown only deepened. "Where will you find another Gate Guardian set?" he asked. "Where will I find another Kazejin?"

"I'll find one. You can too, if you look. There's more than one set in circulation. They're rare, but they exist," she said, voice strengthening a little in hope.

Kyle shook his head. "I wish... but there are only two other Kazejins in existence. I doubt if I'll find them now, and now is the time I need Gate Guardian the most. And you knew the stakes of the duel. You were the one that challenged me in the first place."

He stepped forward tentatively, reached one hand out... as if somehow, he could make everything better with that one hand, could somehow seal whatever rift was between them. "Jade, this duel – losing Kazejin – won't affect the outcome of the rest of your life. Not for you. You said it yourself, there are others out there. But for me... I need to win. Otherwise, I might lose someone I care about. And I might lose a whole lot more."

"And after this tournament? What then?" she asked hollowly.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I may not even stay for the end of the tournament."

"What about the Guardian? After it helps you win... if it helps you win... what're you going to do with it?"

Kyle offered a wry expression. "Despite what you may believe, I can assure you... it won't be going on the mantelpiece. I'll use it. And respect it, and those who I had to fight to earn it."

She stared at him, then lowered her eyes. Despite the fact she was trying to hide it, her hands trembled as she pulled her cards from the graveyard slot on her duel disk and thumbed through them.

He couldn't help but feel guilty. The trembling was plain for him to see... especially after he'd always seen her move with such grace and alacrity.

"Jade..." He tried to find something to say, but no words would come out.

"Is it too late to ask you to have pity on me?" she asked, still looking down at her cards, where Kazejin gleamed up at them both.

He hesitated, unsure of how to answer that question. "Do you want me to take pity on you?"

"No," she said, gently sliding Kazejin from her deck and putting it in his hand. Her voice cracked slightly. "No, I don't."

Kyle stared at Kazejin for a moment, felt the warmth of Jade's hand still on it. For a moment, he felt a surge of triumph. _I finally have them all... this is what I've worked so hard for... no matter what she says, I did work hard to get it, and now it's paid off._

And then... the guilt returned. _The Blue-Eyes cards only have one owner... the same could be said for Kazejin. This was her favorite card, the one she depended on when everything else failed. It came through for her where even her stronger cards failed... like Sanga does for me._

Losing Sanga was painful for me, and I've had it for a shorter time than Jade's had Kazejin.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragons aren't mine. They belong to someone else.

How is Kazejin any different?

He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, then looked back up at Jade again, even as she was turning away. He reached out and touched her shoulder.

"What would you do with them?" he asked softly.

She continued to face away from him, but one hand came up to wipe at her face and glistened when it came back down. "I'd know I was worthy to have them," she replied.

A strange look passed across his face then, as though struck by a saddening revelation. "Is that what you've wanted all along?" he asked, his voice still quiet. "A sense of worth?"

"I... I don't know."

Kyle sighed. "Jade... please, look at me."

She turned slowly to face him, tears on both cheeks... on one was an unbroken stream, and on the other, a smudged patch where she'd wiped them away.

He tentatively reached out and gently wiped away the stream with his thumb. "I'm sorry we both had to go through all of this."

Kyle sighed and regarded her carefully. "You know about the person I used to be. He would never have been worthy to have Gate Guardian, or anything of any value. He would have used and abused it until there was nothing left for it to give."

He touched his chest. "Deep down, he's still here. And he makes me wonder if I'm any more entitled to the cards than he is." He shifted his stance. "My point is, the Gate Guardian cards haven't provided me with any clearer sense of worthiness than before – in any sense. I'm still the same flawed, imperfect Kyle McCraine I was before." He sighed. "But... you have a heart in you. A desire I don't know that I could hope to match. To be perfectly honest, you want the set more than I do. You've always wanted Gate Guardian more than I have."

A side of his mouth quirked up in what might have been a smile, were it not for the grim situation he was still faced with. "And that was a duel of the titans if I ever saw one. The fact that you dueled in the face of opposition like that deserves something in itself. And you're not only a good duelist, you're a good person. I know you are."

He reached into the graveyard slot of his duel disk and removed two cards, then combined them with Kazejin, which had not left his grasp. "Give me your hand."

Jade held out her hand, and Kyle gently pressed the three cards into her palm. The cards were spread in such a way that there was no mistaking what they were.

He had just given her all three Labyrinth Brothers.

Her green eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "But... but... you just said..."

Kyle smiled slightly. "As hard as it is to get Gate Guardian on the field by conventional means, there are other ways. They may be few and far between, but they exist, and with my luck, it'll happen. You've invested a lot – almost too much, in trying to get these. I know how much the loss of your favorite card can hurt. I should. I was too prideful, and because of that, I blew it. I wouldn't wish that on you. Not even after all this." He nodded to the cards in her hand. "It's what you've wanted all this time. Otherwise, you may never get the chance to figure out for yourself whether you're worthy of them. Or can feel just as worthy without them." His gray eyes held sincerity in their gaze. "And you deserve that chance. So take the Labyrinth Brothers."

"I... thank you," she stammered, not quite knowing what else to say. "Thank you."

**Kyle! What in Ra's name are you doing?!**

Theoris... this is my decision. It's something I have to do.

**Why?!**

Why? As in, why did I choose to give her the Labyrinth Brothers?

Yes!

Why did I go with a bunch of grave robbers to an abandoned tomb?

...because you were foolish.

And look what I got in return. An invaluable friend.

Not for the first time, Theoris was struck silent.

"Kyle?"

Kyle looked up. His little smile hadn't faded. "Yes?"

"This tournament... what you've got at stake... I know you've proven you're capable, but... if you ever need some help..." She seemed to have a hard time getting the words out – not necessarily because she didn't mean what she said, but perhaps because she hadn't said anything similar in a long time. "And not just in dueling..."

Kyle nodded. He knew what she meant. "It may sound awkward, but just so you know... if it was you I was fighting for, I'd fight just as hard for you as I just did against you."

"That's good to know." She looked at the Labyrinth Brothers for a moment and put them in her deck, and put her deck in her pocket. "Hey. This Monica of yours is a lucky girl, you know, to have you."

He stared at the ground. "Not right now, she isn't. I'm not exactly a lucky charm today."

She stepped forward and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "Then make your own luck."

In spite of the situation, and himself, he couldn't help but smile. A moment passed, and then he asked, "Can we finally say we're friends, then? I'm so tired of being enemies."

She chewed on her lower lip for a few moments. "Yeah," she said finally. "Yeah, we can."

He nodded. "I'm glad. I really do want to be your friend. Whether it looks like it or not, I care."

She offered him a strained smile. "Thanks for the thought."  
He nodded once, not really sure what else to say. His eyes darted around, then looked down the passage to the alley.

There was a magician there, mounted on a black horse, just across the street from the entrance. He was staring at the both of them intently.

Kyle paled. "Oh, no..."

The magician urged his horse toward the entrance, through the passage, and into the alley. He stopped about a meter away from the two duelists.

"That was impressive," he said in gross understatement. "You must be congratulated, Kyle McCraine. Your friends would have been very proud to see you duel with such alacrity... and against such a formidable opponent as you apparently had." The magician's hidden gaze turned upon Jade. "Very impressive, indeed."

Jade narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell are you? And sorry to break it to you, but Halloween isn't today."

The magician released a mirthless laugh. "I? I am merely an observer. And you, my dear... you are truly extraordinary. I must also congratulate you on your new acquisitions."

He turned back to Kyle. "Was this some plan of yours, Kyle McCraine? Entrust your most prized cards to another, so that in the event of a loss, you would not hand them over to us? Very shrewd."

Jade crossed her arms. "Someone better start explaining..."

The magician laughed again. "It is quite simple, really. Kyle McCraine has something we want. And I am quite sure you are aware of his stubborn nature; he positively refuses to allow us this item. It is not encouraging that he has already deprived several of my brethren of their lives. But, as you say, 'the score is about to be evened up'. You might even be a player in this little game of ours."

"Stay away from her." Kyle stepped away from Jade, as if trying to make himself the target. "I'm the one you want. Why are you doing this? My friends are of no use to you."

"No," said the magician. "I quite agree. They are of no use whatsoever. Your female friend is quickly outliving her usefulness as a bargaining chip, and as for your male friend, well..." He sneered. "I am to understand we all know what happened."

Jade narrowed her eyes even further at the mounted magician and scowled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that was a threat."

The magician considered. "My clan is not below the concept of threatening others. We have already done our part in that endeavor."

Kyle kept his gaze leveled on the mounted man, but his words were to Jade. "He's part of a bizarre clan that's kidnapped Monica. They're holding her for ransom."

"Indeed," the magician sneered.

"What is it they want?" Jade asked.

"I don't know if you'd believe me if I told you," Kyle said. "Suffice it to say that this thing's more than it appears to be."

"Do not make it out to be any less than it is," the magician rasped. "That shield is a dangerous tool of unspeakable power... and it has hampered our efforts for millennia. No longer."

She glanced back and forth between them, trying to figure out if one was serious and one was crazy.

Kyle gave her an apologetic glance. "It sounds insane, I know."

The magician snorted. "Believe what you will, my dear. I speak the truth." He turned back to Kyle. "Not that you have a choice as to whether I tell you the truth. I bid you follow me, and do so quickly, if you wish to know whether your female friend's heart still beats."

The horse galloped down the passage and turned a corner.

"I have to follow him," Kyle muttered, giving Jade another apologetic look. He raced down the passage and called over his shoulder, "Avoid those men by any means!"

As he turned the corner, he saw that the horse was heading towards the highway. _He's trying to lure me out of town, I'll bet... then they can pin me..._

**Then you must catch him before that happens. He might at least be able to tell you where Monica is.**

How do you propose I catch him on foot, exactly?

**Not on foot, Kyle, on your vehicle. You have one, last I knew.**

_Oh. Right._ Kyle glanced up at the parking deck, just across the street – and raced inside. Fortunately, it was on the first level, so it took him little time to mount it and fire it up. He blew through the exit and swung around in pursuit of the magician.

_I doubt his horse is faster than this thing, but with that kind of lead, he could be just about anywhere..._ Kyle simply bolted toward the same highway the mage had been heading for and hoped it would be enough.

As luck would have it, that was exactly where the mage had headed. His dark cloak billowed about his form as his horse's legs moved blindingly fast; he was almost nothing more than a speck several blocks away, as much of a lead as he'd gained. Kyle cranked up the speed on his motorcycle and mentally urged the vehicle to move as fast as it possibly could.

The horse veered sharply to the right. Kyle slowed and followed as best he could, his eyes narrowing. _Moving east. He's headed for the docks._

--

"He approaches."

"We are not ready."

"No, we are not. We have one; let us hope one is enough."

"He has already fought five others and won!"

"If nothing else, our one will provide cover for our escape. We cannot lose her."

Monica stared at the two robed men that stood almost directly in front of her. She had a pretty good feeling what they meant when they said "her" – "her" as in, well, her. And she could almost dare to hope that when they said "he", they meant Kyle.

But she had no idea what they meant by "one". She wanted to ask what they were talking about – _"What the hell do you mean? Stop being so cryptic!" I'd shout_ – but her gag was secure and no intelligible words could be made out even if she tried. She bit down on the cloth in her mouth in frustration. _I've got to be near someone who'd be able to help, otherwise they wouldn't gag me. Maybe "he" really is Kyle... maybe he's coming to rescue me!_

But that's stupid! she thought. _Why would he do that? Wouldn't he have authorities with him, to surround the place? Make sure I'll stay right here, instead of be moved somewhere else... where they can't find me?_

Monica shuddered at that prospect. _Imagine... me, having to spend day after day either sitting in a chair bound and gagged or being taken places I'll never be able to appreciate... never to duel again... never to be found, or missed..._

She felt a sting behind her eyes, but she blinked it away. She refused to cry. She had to be calm and collected. She had to save her strength, both physical and emotional, for an opportunity to escape from these madmen.

_But I can't make it look as if I'm saving my strength. They might get suspicious if I don't struggle at least a little... especially if they're about to try to move me somewhere else._ With that thought in mind, she squirmed against the ropes on her wrists and ankles and the belt that held her to the chair, and she grunted into her gag.

They glanced at her. One curled his lip in derision. "Blindfold her and take her with you. We shall depart immediately."

--

The mage looked over his shoulder, and seeing no sign of his predator, smirked in victory. _Very well, then... we will simply kill her. That will both even the score and convince you to–_

His horse whinnied and its shoes sparked against the pavement in a desperate effort to come to a sudden halt after moving at more than 150 kilometers per hour. He whipped his head around in surprise, just in time to see that Kyle McCraine – as unbelievable as it was – had intercepted him and had pulled his motorcycle to a stop directly in the horse's path.

The horse's momentum – as well as the momentum of its rider – were incredible, but upon the horse's attempt to lose some of that momentum, the magician was virtually thrown from his saddle. He cried out and rolled in the air, flailing to keep from ending up trampled by his own mount.

His head _clang_ed against something and he heard a screeching noise as he blacked out... all before even hitting the ground.

Kyle, having seen the magician sailing through the air, had instinctively enlarged the Millennium Shield to his right arm and angled his motorcycle – which he had yet to fully dismount – in such a way as to hold against the unavoidable impact. But with the man moving at such incredible velocity, Kyle and the bike had been shoved backward upon being hit, causing the tires to squeal in protest.

Adrenaline pumped through his body, his eyes wide as he stared down at his fallen quarry, who was now bleeding profusely from his forehead. After several moments, he forced his limbs to respond to his commands and dismounted his bike, then grabbed the magician's tunic and pulled him close.

"Where is she?" he rasped.

The mage blinked awake and looked at Kyle, a confused expression on his face.

"Monica! Where is she?!"

The magician offered a groan and pointed weakly at a nearby building that looked nearly as decrepit as the one Chubs had been hostage in. "Th... th..."

His eyes rolled back as he fell back into the dark of unconsciousness.

"Hey!" Kyle shouted, shaking the mage. "I'm talking to you!"

But there was no response. Kyle shoved the older man against the ground in disgust, then looked up at the building. _All right... I guess I'll have to take a look._

But before he could even get up, he heard the stomping of hooves in the distance, on the other side of the warehouse. His eyes widened. _Damn! They're taking off!_


	23. Road Rage I

_A/N: All right, everyone, time for Chapter 23! Hope you enjoy reading it, as I had a strange time writing it. Some of the material is based on a concept I've had for a long time... now I know exactly where to put it._

Lumen: Sorry I couldn't accommodate you this time around, but I'm slowing the pace down a little bit to give people more time to read. That way they don't feel like they're falling behind.

Mira: I expected no less, considering your bias against Jade -- and you're welcome to have that bias, I've no objection. Makes the story more real when there are unlikable characters, doesn't it? But Jade just might one day prove her worth.

Monica: No real horse can hit 150 kph. You're on target in thinking that belonging to the magicians has something to do with it.

-------

Kyle jumped up, mounted his motorcycle, violently twisted the starter key, and pulled away from the warehouse, rear tire screeching. He brought the bike around the decrepit building as quickly as he could. Gray smoke belched from the twin mufflers and the front tire nearly rose into the air in the haste Kyle had put the vehicle.

_C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…_

He reached the other side, in time to see a pack of dark riders mounted on equally dark horses making for the highway. There was no sign of Monica that he could see, but his contact-enhanced eyes were able to pick out two riders on one horse, and only one of them – the passenger – was wearing the long, midnight-blue robe that seemed to be traditional for them. The other was dressed in baggy black clothes and sported a long, shaggy white beard. His equally long and shaggy white hair flowed around him and his passenger.

Kyle frowned. _The jockey has to be a magician. But he's not wearing his robe. Could his passenger be Monica? That might make sense. They wouldn't want anyone else noticing her present condition, so he might have put his robe on her…_

He pushed his motorcycle to move faster, to exceed the demonic speed of those horses. They'd already gotten a good lead; they were almost a kilometer away, and it was going to take some doing to quickly catch up with them and not blow out the engine at the same time.

He looked at his speedometer. He was already moving at 135 kph. He did the math in his head, and then muttered a curse under his breath. _Damn… I'm moving at almost 80 miles per hour and I'm only now starting to move faster than them…I wonder what the guys at the horse-racing tracks would think of those things._

And he twisted the accelerator handle back even further. The engine roared in protest, but he wasn't ready to give up, not when he was so close. The needle moved up to 140, then inched slowly to 150.

_C'mon, c'mon, don't let me down now; you're not even going a hundred miles per hour yet…_

By this time they were on the four-lane highway, and Kyle was closing in on them. It felt impossibly slow to him. _But then again, it's getting so that I can barely think and not think of Monica… c'mon, just a little further, just a little faster…_

He wrenched the handle further. The speedometer needle moved to 165. _There you go, now you're doing almost a hundred, and we're getting closer… c'mon, baby…_

He was so close now; he could almost reach out and touch the horse that was bringing up the rear. The magician mounted on that horse was quick to notice – and challenge – this. He looked over his shoulder, saw Kyle there, glared, and reached out. A reddish aura surrounded his hand.

Kyle, on instinct, brought up his Millennium Shield to block the strike. As soon as the shield was up, however, he began to lose speed, since both the accelerator handle and the shield were on the right side. The wind screamed around the shield; the ensuing wind resistance caused him to lose even more speed.

The strike never came, and when Kyle brought the shield back down, he found he'd lost significant ground. "Damn it!" he muttered aloud. The words were lost to the wind and the engine as he resumed his speed. _Brilliant, McCraine… that was just brilliant._

**Kyle, mount the shield on your back. It will be able to protect you from further attacks as long you are a conduit for its power. The wind will not resist you nearly as much and you can keep your speed up.**

_I could keep my speed up if I just set this damned accelerator on cruise control_, he thought, doing just that. _Wish I'd thought of that earlier. But mounting the shield on my back… well, here goes…_

Kyle let his concentration flow into the shield. It became bathed in golden light, and vanished from his arm. An instant later, he felt something warm stretch across his back and around his shoulders; he glanced at his left shoulder for a moment and saw that the arm mounts for the shield had become something more akin to shoulder straps. _That's a handy trick. I'll have to remember that._

He looked back to the road. _Okay, playtime's over. Time to get Monica back._

The motorcycle engine roared even louder as he urged it to move ever faster, to catch those magicians before they vanished – and Monica, along with them.

The magician who was bringing up the rear glared at Kyle again as the motorcycle came up to meet them. He reached out again, and this time released a bolt of red energy.

But Kyle wasn't afraid of it.

A golden aura surrounded him and caused the red bolt to rebound. It splashed harmlessly against the pavement.

Kyle grinned and urged the bike further into the pack.

More magicians spotted him. Multicolored bolts of energy sprang at him from all sides, but they were all turned away by the golden glow that had engulfed him, almost giving him the appearance of an angel on a motorcycle.

The engine continued to roar as he closed in on Monica and her captor.

_"Monica!"_ he screamed.

--

_"Monica!"_

Her head perked up even further at his voice. The hood of the robe had been pulled down over her face and had been tied securely around her neck, effectively blindfolding her; there was no way she could toss her head and throw the hood off. She'd heard the motorcycle before, the whining of its engine. She didn't know how fast they were going, but if the bike was making a noise like that, they had to be moving a lot faster than a regular horse could run.

The sound of it falling back had made her despair and lean her head against her captor's back. Her arms were encircling his waist, though not by choice; her hands had been bound together in front of him. Her feet were not in a good position to kick anything but the horse, and that would only spur it to accelerate. If Kyle was this close, she didn't dare do that.

She'd also been giving consideration to yanking back very violently on the magician, possibly forcing them both to fall off the horse. But now that she was hearing the motorcycle engine whining as loudly as it was, she had a better idea of the speed they were moving, and she didn't dare do that now, either. Not onto the pavement. Come to think of it, she wouldn't really feel like doing it even if Kyle were directly behind her with open arms. _I'd just drag this geezer with me and we'd all fall on his bike. Bumpity-bumpity-bumpity-SPLAT. No, not a good ending for this little story_, she thought.

She struggled to make a noise that wouldn't be lost to the wind whipping around her. Not for the first time since this chase had begun, she wished that she wasn't gagged so that she could respond. She bit the cloth in her mouth and pushed at it with her tongue. _Bastards. Won't even let me talk. I'll bet there's no one else around for miles, anyway, besides them, me, and him._

"Monica! I'm coming for you! Hold on!"

The voice was coming from her right side. She crossed her fingers on her right hand and tried to wave the hand at him as best she could. _I am, Kyle... I'm holding on... just don't leave me..._

--

Kyle wracked his brain, trying to think of a way to get Monica off the horse without injuring her or himself. He'd seen the crossed fingers and had briefly wondered why she wasn't moving her arms, then realized the reason. _Duh. Of course they'd tie her up. And to the jockey, so she can't get off by herself. There isn't any more space on that horse, so I couldn't jump on it even if I wanted to..._

The Shadow Realm, Kyle.

What about it?

**Take Monica, the rider, and yourself to the Shadow Realm. The rules are as you want them to be there, provided you have the power to make them. And you do.**

Good idea. Kyle brought up his left hand and opened it, fingers curled slightly. A dark, dense purple fog filled his hand within the cage of his fingers, and blue static crackled along his arm as he prepared to send the rider and Monica to the Shadow Realm.

He reached his hand out, ready to send the fog spewing forth–

Another horse moved between him and his target to cut him off.

Kyle glowered. His first instinct was to punch the horse in the side so that it would back off, but he imagined that probably wouldn't do much. The temptation then came to simply send that rider to the Shadow Realm, as well. He reached out and sent the fog to the rider, intent on doing just that.

The rider saw it coming from a million miles away. There was no possible way he could have missed it; he was looking right at Kyle as Kyle sent the fog to him.

But the fog didn't envelop him. It streamed _around_ him.

As if somehow, he was protected from it.

Kyle frowned and concentrated harder, but to no discernible avail.

He spotted a smile from underneath the rider's hood. Kyle's eyes narrowed.

"It will take more than a little fog to send me away, Kyle McCraine!" the rider shouted. "I have business with you!"

"First order of business is for you to get out of my way!" Kyle responded. "Give her back!"

"She is not for negotiation!" The rider smirked at Kyle. "But I have a counter-proposal!"

"Whatever it is, forget it!"

"If I do, the next time you see her face, it will not be nearly so beautiful as it is now!"

_Damn them!_ "What do you want?"

The rider held up his left forearm for Kyle to see. To Kyle's great surprise, a duel disk was strapped to it.

Kyle shook his head. "I'm not stopping now! I won't let you get away with her!"

"Then we shall duel as we move!" the rider responded.

Kyle looked down at his motorcycle, at the blindingly fast-moving pavement, and then at the speedometer.

165 kph.

_Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me..._

The rider smirked at him. "I did not think you would do it! You have not the courage necessary!"

Kyle scowled. _He's one to talk._

**Kyle, I think you should duel him.**

_...As many times as you've accused me of going mad, I thought you'd at least have the sense to avoid reciprocation._

**Would you prefer they keep her and torment her?**

Theoris, we're moving at a hundred miles per hour! Anything can go wrong at this speed! A single fly hovering over the highway could take out an eye! It'd be just as much torment to duel and keep up my speed and balance at the same time!

**Kyle... would you prefer they keep her and torment her?**

Kyle sighed. _No... no, I wouldn't._

He looked back up at the rider and put on a look of fierce determination. "Fine! Let's duel!"

The rider's lips pulled back from his teeth in a wide grin. "Good!" Then, in a show of daring, he released his horse's reins for a moment and put them in his lap as he fiddled with his duel disk. He anchored the holoprojectors on the saddle in such a way that they wouldn't be jostled or thrown off the horse.

Kyle groaned. _This is going to be a nightmare..._ He held the bike steady with his left hand while he snapped the holoprojectors out of his duel disk and mounted them on the bike with his right. The bottoms of the projectors were adhesive, supposedly so they could not be disturbed in the midst of transmitting their photonic signals; luckily for Kyle, they clung quite firmly to the bike.

_Thank the powers-that-be for the automatic shuffler on this thing_, Kyle thought. The shuffler whirred as it went to work on his cards, then ejected them into the deck slot a moment later. The segments of his duel disk snapped briskly together, and the counter read 4000.

The rider held up his duel disk's counter to show to Kyle, and Kyle could see the rider was more than ready. The rider moved to one lane of the road while Kyle stayed on the other. The rest of the pack backed away from the two.

Kyle ground his teeth. _If they take an off-ramp, I won't know until it's too late..._

The rider pointed at Kyle, indicating Kyle was the one to start the game.

Kyle tentatively reached for his deck and slipped six cards off the top. He shuddered and kept a death grip on the left handlebar.

_Here we go..._

As he pulled his hand of cards in front of his face, he couldn't help but think, _What the hell am I doing? This is totally and completely insane._

**Were it sane, it would not be the magicians you fight. They are mad for the power the shield denied them millennia ago.**

Kyle sighed and perused the cards. _I'd probably be better off not even trying to announce what I'm laying out. In this wind, it'd be nothing more than a waste of breath. He'll be able to see it all just fine, and if he's a duelist, he should be able to identify a good deal of the cards I've got... particularly if he was planning on dueling me. Now, how do I get this out of my hand without taking my left hand off the handlebar?_

He settled on raising the cards to his lips and plucking his choice from among its companions. He repositioned the cards still in his hand, grabbed his choice from his lips with two fingers, and pressed it onto the field of his duel disk.

_Slate Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode. Let's see how he deals with that._ A golem of stone appeared in midair, hovering just a few centimeters above the moving pavement. Kyle nodded at the rider, indicating his turn was finished.

The rider again showed off by placing his horse's reins back in his lap for the duration of his turn – but he was smart enough to lean forward so that the wind resistance wouldn't lash him off the horse. Kyle couldn't see what the rider was doing, but the next few moments revealed three face-down magic/trap cards and one face-down defensive monster.

The rider pointed at Kyle again – Kyle's turn.

Kyle's shuddering right hand gingerly slipped another card off his deck. _I really hope the deck doesn't fall out... that would be just my luck if it did..._ He glanced at the new card, then snorted. _Hm. Okay. In the meantime, I'll just put a magic/trap face-down._

That done, he leaned down so that his mouth was close enough to his duel disk that his voice-activated orders didn't get lost to the wind. "Slate Warrior attacks face-down monster!"

In response, Slate Warrior jumped across the small expanse and punched a stone fist into the face-down. The card flipped over and revealed a graying, wrinkled old spellcaster wearing a pair of large glasses, cringing under the attack.

_Stern Mystic (1500/1200). So he'll see my face-down Collected Power. On the other hand..._ Kyle scanned his opponent's magic/trap field as the rider's own m/t cards were revealed. He frowned. _Damn. Forced Requisition, Aqua Chorus, and Trap Hole. He's counting on discarding, having multiple monsters of the same name, and me playing monsters with attacks of over a thousand. Best I find a way to destroy Trap Hole first, then I can worry about the others._

He looked back at his hand. _I may need another defense, in case Slate Warrior can't cut it. So I'll put another monster on the field, this one face-down._

A face-down monster card appeared next to Slate Warrior.

Kyle looked back up at the rider; that was all the rider needed to know it was his turn.

The card he drew was the card he ended up playing, it seemed. Kyle watched carefully as the rider summoned Copycat (0/0) in attack position. _That can take on the attack and defense factors of one opposing monster; in this case, Slate Warrior. So which will he attack? Slate Warrior's the bigger threat right now, but he needs some kind of defense..._

Copycat reached out with its free hand – the one not holding a mirror up to hide its face – and sent a white discharge crackling towards Kyle's face-down monster. The card flipped up and showed Bombardment Beetle (400/900) exploding under the force of the attack.

_No flip effect for you today, I'm afraid_, Kyle thought as he discarded Beetle. He looked back up at the rider, who offered a mock salute. It was Kyle's turn once again.

Kyle drew – and very nearly lost the card he was drawing to the wind. As he tried to get a better hold on it, he began swerving to the left, leaning as he was on his left arm to hold himself up. He uttered several foul curses into the wind as he righted himself again, and he ignored the strange look he got from the rider.

He finally looked at the card he'd nearly lost, and he was about ready to choke. _Augh! Good thing I didn't lose you!_ He gratefully slipped it into an available magic/trap slot. _Mystical Space Typhoon._ He leaned down to his duel disk and announced, "Mystical Space Typhoon targets face-down magic/trap card on opponent's right!"

A flash of lightning crackled across the field and singed the targeted trap card into nothingness. _Goodbye to your Trap Hole. Now let's get down to business. Slate Warrior, you've served me well; now it's time for Black Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800) to hop to it._ He removed Slate Warrior from the field, discarded it, and replaced it with his Jungle King. Alongside his bike appeared the trusty wingless dragon. "Black Dragon Jungle King attacks Copycat!"

The dark creature swept across the "field" and swiped at Copycat with its vicious claws. Copycat reeled and shattered, and the LP counter on the rider's duel disk dropped to 3800. Kyle nodded in satisfaction. _All right, then._

The rider – correctly – took the nod to mean it was his turn. His moves were swift; one magic/trap face-down and one monster face-down; then he passed to Kyle. Kyle surveyed his opponent's field. _Now an unknown magic/trap and an unknown monster... Aqua Chorus and Forced Requisition shouldn't be a problem, I don't think, long as I play my cards right._

He drew and considered his next moves carefully. _Muka Muka (600/300) in attack mode should be adequate. With its nifty little 300 ATK/DEF per in-hand card bonus, it goes up to 1500 attack. And he's playing defensively for now, so it should be safe._

"Black Dragon Jungle King attacks face-down monster!" he announced.

Apparently the rider was expecting the attack. He quickly pressed one of his m/t activation buttons; in response, the last m/t he'd placed flipped face-up. Kyle chewed his lip and nodded. _Negate Attack. His face-down must not be strong enough to handle an attack like that. And now I can't attack with Muka Muka, either. Shoot._ He nodded to the rider.

The rider didn't seem interested in introducing anything new to his m/t field, but he sacrificed his face-down monster for another face-down. Kyle cocked his head. _Wonder what the deal is there. We looking at high defense or high attack? Both, maybe, and wanting to evade a Trap Hole?_

The rider gave the turn to Kyle.

Kyle looked over his hand once more, then nodded decisively. _I know what I want to do with this._

**Are you sure, Kyle? What of his Forced Requisition? If he activates it as he discards...**

If this works, we'll both discard at the same time and I'll have no hand if he chooses to activate it. It wouldn't work at that point. I can't discard more cards if I've got no hand.

**...True.**

Kyle placed three magic/traps face-down in quick succession, and then a face-down monster. _That clears out my hand, so Muka Muka returns to its original attack and defense of 600 and 300. Not good for an attack position monster._ He turned his Muka Muka card to the side; correspondingly, the chittering, insectoid Rock-type monster huddled down closer to the concrete that was still screaming past at nearly 100 miles per hour.

He leaned down to his duel disk and repeated his order from last turn: "Black Dragon Jungle King attacks face-down monster!"

The dark creature leapt across the field again and clawed at the face-down card, but when it flipped up, it revealed another spellcaster that held its ground. Kyle's eyes narrowed. _Illusionist Faceless Mage (1200/2200). Should've thought of that._

His LP counter descended to 3900. _Small potatoes._ He pointed at the rider, indicating his turn was done.

The rider swiftly pulled his next card from the top of his deck, scanned it for only a moment, then slipped it into one of his m/t slots and activated it. In a spray of light, there appeared a bulky man wearing equally bulky armor and holding a massive buster sword.

Kyle knew what that card was, and he rolled his eyes. _Nobleman of Extermination. Damn it. Payback for making him lose Trap Hole, I guess._

The Nobleman charged into Kyle's m/t field and stabbed down into his rightmost card. The card flipped over and showed a small girl wearing a red cloak; she cowered before the attack and disappeared. In spite of the display, Kyle snorted. _Destroying Novox's Prayer? My deck's only ritual magic card. So Skull Guardian won't be coming out this duel – big deal._

The rider ended his turn there.

Kyle drew and quickly looked at the card. _Nah, this isn't worth the set or the summon for this turn._ He held it firmly between his right hand's last two fingers as he reached over to his duel disk and flipped over the face-down monster he'd placed last turn.

On the field, the face-down card hovering over the roaring pavement also flipped up. A grayish jar containing an unholy smirk and an evil red eye appeared and laughed mockingly at the rider.

_Need more cards to work with, I sure hope Morphing Jar (700/600) does its job of that._ Kyle discarded the Kiseitai he'd just drawn and drew five new cards. He glanced up to see if the rider was at all interested in showing what he'd discarded. But the rider was already drawing his new hand. _I guess not. I could request a graveyard search from my duel disk–_

His bike shuddered momentarily, and he had to repress the instinct to drop his cards and grab the other handlebar to steady himself. _Umm... how about... no._ He let out a breath and drew in another one slowly. _Okay. Focus. Theoris, tell me to focus._

**You are doing a good enough job of that yourself, Kyle.**

Say it anyway.

**Very well. Focus. But not on me. Focus on the duel.**

Right. He pulled up his new hand of cards and looked it over. To his delight, it gave some excellent options. _All right. First these two magic/traps face-down... and then some sacrificing. Goodbye Muka Muka and Morphing Jar..._

He discarded those two monsters to the graveyard and brought out their replacement. It manifested over his m/t field, almost completely blocking his view of the rider. It glimmered in the sunlight; its blazing neon blue eyes were looking around hungrily, and its roar could be heard even over the sound of the wind whistling in Kyle's ears.

_Hello, Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000/2500)._


	24. Road Rage II

_A/N: All right, the update you've all been waiting for -- part 2 of Kyle's fast-paced duel with a magician. About time, huh?_

Mira: Aww! Thanks re: duel. But I doubt the horse or its rider are much inclined to slow down. And of course you're pleased! How could you not be?

Monica: For a while after I wrote the duel I wondered what I should call it. The name seemed to fit. Unfortunately, the shield can't protect him from every kind of harm -- but it's been doing well so far.

Wolfwings: Both. I love plot development and I'm an absolute nutcase. I hear most geniuses are insane. And I might not be a genius, but I sure am a taco short of a combo plate.

-------

Kyle's LP – 3900

Magician Duelist's LP – 3800

--

She thought she heard it, off in the distance. There was no mistaking the sound. Once you heard it, you never forgot it. Only one creature could make that sound, a creature that wasn't even real. A hologram, whose structure was based on a Duel Monsters card.

Only three versions of this card existed.

And one of them was being used now.

It roared again, and there was no question in her mind now. _Someone's dueling with my Blue-Eyes! Damn it, I want out of here so I can go kick their ass! These geezers should keep their damned hands off my deck! How dare they!_

She struggled in frustration, but for her efforts, she was rewarded with a bony elbow in her side. She bit her gag and tried to keep herself from crying out. _Damn you, you old fart. Just you wait until I get out of this and get my Blue-Eyes back. They'll chomp you and your little friends here for all you're worth... and then some._

She sighed. _Kyle... where are you? What's going on?_

--

Though Kyle's view of the rider was somewhat occluded, he could still see his opponent's face, which paled at the sight of the massive beast. Kyle allowed a small grin. _Bet you didn't think I'd actually get lucky enough to use it, huh? Maybe you should think twice before challenging me to a duel. Especially when it's my friend's life on the line._

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks Illusionist Faceless Mage!" Kyle shouted at his duel disk.

Blue-Eyes's mouth craned open and let loose a streak of lightning. The mage was incinerated, leaving the rider defenseless.

_Defenseless where monsters are concerned, anyway. Let's see if he's got anything else I should be worried about._ "Black Dragon Jungle King attacks opponent's Life Points!"

The Jungle King obediently jumped across the expanse and, with a swipe if its vicious claws, reduced the rider's LP to 1700 – less than half of his starting amount. _Beat that._ Kyle pointed a finger at the rider to let him know it was now his turn.

The rider offered a glare to Kyle as he drew his next card, which he subsequently placed face-down on his m/t field. Then he selected another card from his hand and likewise slipped it into a magic/trap slot... but he activated this one.

Between the rider's m/t field and Blue-Eyes, there appeared a heavy, dark maroon curtain, which hung on a massive skull and bone crossbar. Kyle's eyes narrowed. _I recognize that one, but I can't remember..._

**Dark Magic Curtain. It allows him to summon a Dark Magician from his hand or deck without sacrificing monsters to do so. However, he loses half of his Life Points.**

_That takes him down to 850 Life Points, and he's got to know a Dark Magician is weaker than a Blue-Eyes._

**Few are unaware of this fact, Kyle.**

_Har har._

A Dark Magician (2500/2100) sporting blue armor – identical to the one Jade possessed – appeared on the field, his arms crossed in defiance, his staff held loosely in one hand.

Kyle blinked, though, when the rider indicated it was Kyle's turn now. _He put his Dark Magician in attack position. While Blue-Eyes is out. And he didn't even attack Jungle King. He's goading me._

**As you so quaintly put it, Kyle... "duh".**

Kyle was too engrossed in the situation to find the retort even remotely amusing. He drew his next card and frowned at it. _Not gonna do me much good._ He looked back up at Blue-Eyes, whose wings – despite the ferocity of the wind – were flapping slowly and surely as it waited to make a meal of the Dark Magician floating there.

Kyle shook his head. _I have to attack. Otherwise he'll get even more leeway. Can't have that._ He shouted at his duel disk, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks Dark Magician!"

He could see the rider smirking, though, and he immediately knew that he'd fallen for a trap. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, but between the road and his balance, he had to force himself to keep them open and lay themselves upon the trap card that was flipping face-up.

_Spellbinding Circle. This guy's got a serious bent for spellcasting_, Kyle mused. _The attack's negated and now Blue-Eyes can't attack at all. It's nothing but a target for his Dark Magician if he powers it up. But only if he tries to attack... and if he does, he's a fool. His turn._

Even from this distance, Kyle could see the rider's eyes narrowing at the card he'd just drawn, as if he were trying to decide whether he should take the risk of playing it. A moment later, however, Kyle's opponent made his decision and placed it face-up on his monster field.

Next to his Dark Magician, there appeared Time Wizard (500/400).

Kyle balked. _Oh, boy. He probably figures I've got something waiting to stop him from attacking Blue-Eyes in its weakened state, so instead he's gonna try clearing my monster field. But if he fails, Time Wizard and Dark Magician will explode and destroy his Life Points in the process. Would he really risk it?_

The rider spoke into his duel disk, and an instant later, the dial on Time Wizard's staff began to spin.

Kyle badly wanted to clench his eyes shut against the sight, but instead of that, he turned away from it and made sure the road ahead didn't have any upcoming curves or potholes to it.

A blue light surrounded Time Wizard; Kyle saw it out of the corner of his eye and looked back to the field, just in time to see that the dial had stopped moving at a Time Warp slice.

He ground his teeth. _Damn. I can still get him back, but damn._

Blue-Eyes and Jungle King were swept away by the force of the time warp. Blue winds encircled Time Wizard and Dark Magician as well, but Kyle was less interested in those as he discarded his two monsters.

When he looked back up at the field, however, he saw that Dark Magician had been affected by the time warp. It was now sitting cross-legged in the air. It sported a long white beard, and its staff had become of gnarled wood and was studded with gigantic emerald orbs.

He frowned. _Is there something I missed? I thought Time Wizard didn't affect monsters on its own side of the field._

**_In the case of Dark Magician, that is not so true. You have seen this card once before. When the effect of Time Wizard is activated the way its controller means it to, and there is also a Dark Magician on the same side of the field, that Dark Magician can be sacrificed in order to special summon–_**

Dark Sage (2800/3200). Kyle remembered now._ And when it's summoned, the controller takes any magic card from his deck and brings it to his hand._

The rider was performing the latter operation just now. When he made his selection, he shoved his deck back into the deck slot and let the auto-shuffler do its work.

Kyle narrowed his eyes at Dark Sage. _Fine, then. Attack me if you dare._

A moment later, the rider informed Dark Sage to do just that.

Dark Sage raised its massive, emerald-studded staff at Kyle and prepared to unleash his full fury on the younger duelist.

Kyle pressed a magic/trap activation button. _Not so fast._

The trap that flipped face-up was none other than Mirror Force.

Streams of multicolored energy shot out from the field representation of the trap, speared through Dark Sage and Time Wizard, and obliterated them.

Strangely enough, the rider didn't seem disturbed by this. Instead, he ended his Battle Phase and placed another magic/trap on the field, then activated it.

_Gah! Monster Reborn! Damn it!_

But Kyle frowned when the monster that returned from the graveyard proved to be the Dark Magician. _Not Blue-Eyes? Not Dark Sage? Dark Magician's weaker than either of those..._

**_Not necessarily. Not when your opponent uses that card._**

Kyle's eyes flitted to the rider's m/t field to see what Theoris was talking about. Again he frowned. _Polymerization? Does he have two fusion-material monsters in his hand?_

The rider placed a monster on the field to reveal what he was fusing. Kyle blinked. _Versago the Destroyer (1100/900). If I remember right, that can replace any one monster in a fusion summoning. So where's his other fusion-material?_

**_I believe the answer to that question is, "Already on the field."_**

_I thought Dark Magician wasn't fusion material!_

The Dark Magician and Versago the Destroyer – a dark humanoid fiend wrapped in a grid of green metal – lost their forms, twisted around each other, and merged together in front of the Polymerization card.

The result produced a monster that appeared similar to Dark Magician, but this one's armor was black with fierce orange trim. The armor was also more severely cut than Dark Magician's armor; this monster had more the appearance of a warrior. That appearance was only further substantiated by the staff it bore. No longer was it the magician's staff that the so-called "ultimate wizard" bore... instead, it was now a lethal, spiked bardiche, waiting for Kyle to place a monster before it.

**_Apparently, Kyle... you thought wrong._**

The attack and defense factors appeared underneath the new creature.

**(3900/2400)**

_Jeez... what IS that thing?!_

**I know not, but it behooves you to find a way to destroy it, and quickly at that. You are fortunate in that it cannot attack this turn.**

_Rummage through my memories and see if you can recall anything like that monster. I've got to keep playing._ It was now Kyle's turn, and he drew his next card swiftly. _Pot of Greed. This is a must-have._ He played it and drew two new cards as the greenish pot hologram grinned maliciously at the rider and his mysterious fusion monster.

_Whew. These will do me good. Now it's time to lay all my cards down, so to speak._ Kyle slipped one magic/trap into an open slot, then prepared to activate two others. _For 800 Life Points, Premature Burial will get Blue-Eyes back, while Monster Reborn takes his Copycat – then I can copy that creature's attack power, and destroy both. Then Blue-Eyes can clean up the rest of the duel. Hopefully._

Kyle played Premature Burial first; his Life Points dropped to 3100 accordingly, but just as he was about to retrieve Blue-Eyes from his graveyard, he felt his duel disk buzz and saw his Life Point counter blinking a word at him.

**NEGATED**

A frown split his brow. _What? "Negated"?_

At that moment, the strange fusion monster on the duelist's field leapt across the distance and hacked its lethal weapon straight through the holographic version of the Premature Burial card, cutting it in half and sending it to oblivion.

The duelist was sporting a wide grin.

_Okay... let's try this again._ Kyle slipped his Monster Reborn card into his duel disk and activated it. _Forget Blue-Eyes for the moment, let's just see if we can at least bring Copycat back to the field–_

Again, the disk buzzed. **NEGATED**

_What is going on?!_ Kyle looked up at his opponent, in time to see that he was discarding the one card remaining in his hand – _one? I thought he had two at the end of his last turn_ – and in response, his dangerous monster again bolted across the fleeting expanse to cut Kyle's card in half.

_That's got to be another special effect it has... whatever the first one is. Discard a card from your hand, stop an opponent's magic card from working. But now he doesn't have any cards in his hand, so I should be able to go unchallenged for the rest of the turn._

He inspected the last card he'd planned on playing. _I hope you do well for me._ He placed it on his m/t field and activated it. _Reasoning will either get me a goody or it'll give me a loser, but I need a monster._

The rider held up his fingers to show his guess for the level of the next monster card Kyle would draw. Kyle smirked. _Level 7? Okay, but I don't have too many of those, not since I gave my Labyrinth Brothers to Jade._

Kyle slipped the next card off his deck and inspected it.

His eyes grew wide. _Whoa._ And then he grinned. _My friend, you are about the most welcome monster on my field._

And with that, he placed his Level 11 Gate Guardian (3750/3400) on the field in attack mode.

The massive warrior appeared slowly, as if the holoprojectors were undergoing a great strain in putting Gate Guardian on the field. If Blue-Eyes hadn't blocked the majority of Kyle's view of the rider, Gate Guardian most certainly did. It was bar-none the largest monster on the field.

**_There are very few ways you would have been able to accomplish that, Kyle. I am impressed._**

_So am I, but his monster's still stronger. I'll just let him attack and go from there._

**With Gate Guardian in attack mode?**

You should watch more closely when I'm placing my traps. Kyle pointed at the rider.

The rider drew his next card but hardly paid attention to it. He had a huge grin across his face.He spoke his instructions into his duel disk.

The opposing creature hefted its bardiche and jumped high into the air. Its trajectory was to take it straight to Gate Guardian.

_You see? _Kyle smirked as he pressed the activation button for the trap he'd placed last turn. _The tables have turned._

Kyle's Widespread Ruin trap card flipped face-up on the field and blew a dense orange cloud of flame at the attacking creature. The monster was engulfed in the flames, and when the cloud cleared away, the attacker was no more.

_Ha. Take that._

The rider paled even whiter than he had when Blue-Eyes had come onto the field. Kyle's smirk grew. _This guy's not as good at Duel Monsters as he apparently thinks he is. I'll bet all his hopes were riding on that monster. These people should know better. He's only got one option now... to lose. And with Gate Guardian on my field, and his Life Points at 850..._

The rider grit his teeth. And then he reached a hand out.

A white aura surrounded the hand.

Kyle's eyes grew wide, and the Millennium Shield's golden aura instinctively appeared around him. _Don't even bother–_

The white bolt of energy flew across the expanse.

But the bolt wasn't targeting Kyle.

Too late, he realized where it was heading.

The bolt speared through the front tire of his motorcycle. The tire burst, and the reaction was instantaneous: the bike bucked up under the force of the explosion. Half a thought occurred to Kyle, to try to pull the front of the bike up higher so that he could pull off a wheelie and coast to a stop–

The half-thought occurred too late.

The front fell back to the ground. The metal rim, not meant to tread the road – and especially not at a hundred miles per hour – sparked against the pavement.

Kyle froze. He couldn't move a muscle, save for his eyes.

His eyes could only watch as, inevitably, the bike began to tilt to the right, unable to balance properly on the wobbling front rim.

_No–!_

The motorcycle toppled onto its right side, and took Kyle with it.

His leg became engulfed in white hot pain, and a split instant later, his arm followed suit.

He didn't have time to think anything else as his head cracked against the pavement.

--

Monica felt her captor pull back on the reins, and she heard several other horses around her whinnying in protest. Her brow furrowed. _Why are we slowing down?_

They came to a complete stop, and sat there for several moments. She became acutely aware of a cramp developing in the small of her back from sitting down so long. She squirmed, trying to alleviate the discomfort, but there was only so much she could do without earning another painful elbow to her side.

_What was that screeching noise? It was like metal scraping against metal... almost sounded like Blue-Eyes, but not quite... a lot more horrible..._

"Is he dead?"

Her eyes widened instinctively. _Dead?! Who?_

She heard a pair of feet drop to the pavement and take a few steps to one side. There were a few shuffling noises. Then... "His heart does not beat."

"Take it off him, then."

There was some grunting. "I cannot..."

"You fool, it is strapped too tightly to him. Cut his arms off if you must, but take it, and take it quickly."

Another grunt. A shout.

"Theoris–!"

**"As long as I live, you shall not have what you desire."**

Monica blinked at the tone of the voice. It was familiar, but there were extra qualities to it... qualities that made it sound beyond human. It echoed within itself, and it resonated with a power that she couldn't even begin to try to identify. She shuddered at the very sound of it.

"Your host is dead, Theoris. You have bonded with him – it will not be long before you suffer the same fate. And then... we take what should have been ours so long ago." A pause. "By all rights, you should have died millennia ago. But do not worry. You will still have someone to mourn your loss, even after all these years."

Monica felt someone grab the hood over her head, yank the knot at her neck out, and pull the hood away from her face. She blinked in the sudden sunlight and tried to get her eyes to focus.

"Behold, child, two dead men in one broken body."

Her eyes finally focused.

There was Kyle... lying motionless on the ground, his right leg pinned under his wrecked heap of a motorcycle. A wide red streak was on the pavement, starting at his body and ending almost half a mile behind them – or was it the other way around? He had a duel disk on his left arm, and it was in battle mode, and it had Gate Guardian on it in attack mode, but there were no holograms... cards were strewn all around him, having fallen out of the deck slot on his duel disk. His right arm was lying against the ground and it seemed to bend in at least two wrong directions, but how could that be... his body and his clothes and his face were covered in some sort of red fluid – her mind took a moment to register it as blood because she didn't know how a human body could possibly _have_ that much blood – and his eyes were closed and he looked so still, so still...

She couldn't help it. She cried out at the very sight of him, and she tried to yell out his name, to get him to wake up. "Kwwwl! Mm-mmph! _Kwwwl!_"

One of the men smirked at Kyle's body. "Perhaps I was mistaken. It is not _your_ loss she will mourn, Theoris. It is _his_. Fitting. Besides our clan, no one from this time even remembers you. And that is as it should be."

Monica struggled against her captor, suddenly uncaring of whether he hurt her or not. _Kyle needs help! I need to get out of this and help him!_

Her captor snorted at her efforts. "What shall we do with her? If he is dead, there is no reason to keep her..."

The man who'd been speaking to Kyle looked up at Monica's captor and regarded him with an ice cool stare. "For the moment, we must. The shield will refuse to pass to us while Theoris remains within. Give it time. An hour, at most. We release her when we have the shield, not before."

**"No..."**

Monica's eyes widened even further – which she hadn't thought was possible – when she saw the strange light glowing on Kyle's forehead, his lips moving... that powerful voice ringing out among them. _He's still alive! He's still alive! He's not dead!_ "Kwwwl! Hwwlff!"

"Theoris, your stubbornness never ceases to amaze us," the senior man sniffed. He looked back to Monica. "This is what happens, my dear, when we are not given what we demand. People are hurt. We will spare you injury, however, provided this decrepit soldier would be kind enough to simply die, along with his young companion. But for now, you must stay with us."

With that, the hood was again pulled down over her face and tied off at her neck. She cried out more loudly. _"Kwwwwl! Hwwlff mmph! Mm-mmmph! Mmmph!"_

Kyle's warped voice echoed across the valley; the words it spoke were in such a tone that it almost sounded as if he believed they would be the last words these people would ever hear him say.

**_"We do not fear you!"_**

She heard laughing, and then her captor urged his horse to start running again. The sounds of hoofbeats on the pavement and wind whistling around them drowned out everything else.

But that didn't stop her from shouting for a very long time.

--

**_Kyle! Where are you?_**

...

**Kyle! You must wake up! Monica is still in danger!**

...

**KYLE!!!**

...

**Kyle... please wake up... you cannot be gone... do not die...**

...


	25. Epilogue: Too Late

_A/N: The last chapter of **Imperiled Future**! Surprise. Please refer to the note in my profile, which explains why I won't be able to update much of anything for a while. Don't worry, you'll get more – I promise you that. But in the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed romping through 85 chapters – **85?!**_ – _of the **Shielded Destiny** trilogy, and I also hope that you'll come back to watch as I turn it from a trilogy to a series._

...What, you didn't think I'd write a sequel?

Mira: I have bouts when I experience that same dimensional reading. I really enjoy it when it happens for me, because that shows me I'm comfortable with the style in which the material's written. Sorry about the delay, but it had to happen.

Skraku: A wreck at any speed is bad. It just happens to be exceptionally bad at 100 mph.

Mistess: Well, I'm glad it caught your attention! I hope you'll come back to it once I do.

-------

The phrase "seeing is believing" was not something that applied to this situation.

She'd seen it. And no matter how many times she replayed it in her mind, she was still having great trouble placing a single iota of belief in it.

Jade allowed her speedometer to creep back up to 125 once she moved out of the heavily used area of the highway. She hadn't much felt like getting busted by the highway patrol of a foreign country whose roads seemed to barely let her off at 100 kph. This section had been closed for the tournament, but among her skills was finding a way where none seemed forthcoming. The road was supposed to be deserted, but she'd watched Kyle, astride his motorcycle, shoot down this stretch at an insane speed. He was chasing half a dozen black-robed people on _horseback_. Not only that – and at this, Jade could only shake her head once more – but he was having a hard time catching up to them.

Her disbelief only spurred her foot to press down harder on the accelerator. Her little white car responded and the speedometer's needle crept further past the speed limit. Her blazing green eyes flicked back to the road as she wondered just where the hell Kyle was and what was going on.

She hadn't seen a sign of them for a while, and she grit her teeth, thinking she had lost them. But suddenly on the asphalt near the edge of the road, several shreds of rubber became the first indication that something was wrong. As she reached the apex of a small hill, she had to slam on the brakes, causing the little vehicle to fishtail and swerve dangerously as she fought to keep it from leaving the highway.

Jade brought the car to a halt, heart in her throat... and it was only partly due to the fact that she had nearly been in an accident.

The scene before her looked more like a road chase movie set... skid marks and shreds of rubber gave way to pieces of metal and a swath of dark blood, all leading to an unmoving form.

It was Kyle.

Her hands fumbled as she unbuckled her seat belt and scrambled out of the car.

He was lying at an awkward angle on the blood-tinged pavement. His right leg was pinned under the wreckage of his motorcycle, bent at an impossible angle. His right arm bore gashes in it and it hung limply away from his collarbone, as if it had been pulled out. It could have been her imagination, but she almost thought she could see something white poking out of his arm. The side of his head was bereft of hair and skin; the flesh underneath had been exposed and provided a horrific dark splotch to the rest of his countenance, which was pale, almost chalk-white. A wide pool of blood surrounded him.

But possibly the most frightening of all, he didn't even seem to be in pain.

And the reason was apparent in the lack of movement in his chest... not only his chest, but anywhere on his body.

He wasn't breathing.

_He's dead_, she thought, shuddering. _They were going so fast. The bike must have gone over. He's dead._

--

To be continued in **Interposed Fortunes**...


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